


Pull Me Closer to Love

by awriterofthings



Series: College AU [1]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-20
Updated: 2018-01-20
Packaged: 2019-03-07 00:49:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 50,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13423188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awriterofthings/pseuds/awriterofthings
Summary: Modern AU. College Freshman, Clarke Griffin’s pretty sure she has the worst roommate ever, but she suddenly finds herself determined to get to know the no nonsense girl in hopes that they can be friends, and if feelings blossom between the two because of it… well, she’ll just have to deal with that when it happens.





	1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Clarke was sitting in her best friend, Raven’s room as she ranted about the evil that was her roommate, Lexa Woods. She swore the brunette wanted her dead or, at the very least, comatose. Lexa mostly communicated in glares and grunts when it came to Clarke so she didn’t have much to work with when it came to figuring out her exact feelings towards her. What she had been able to decipher on her own, though, wasn’t good. “She’s going to smother me in my sleep. I had a dream about it.”

           Raven chuckled as she turned in her swivel chair away from her desk so that she could look at Clarke. “Give her some time. Maybe she’s just not a people person.”

           “It’s been two months,” Clarke pointed out. “She’s probably said a handful of things to me in that time, which include telling me to stop talking and asking if I have to draw so loud. She hates me.”

           “I doubt she hates you,” Raven assured her. “She doesn’t sound like roommate of the year but it could be worse.”

           Clarke glared at her best friend. “This is your fault. You wouldn’t room with me and now I have this possible serial killer roommate.”

           Raven snorted out a laugh. “Now she’s a serial killer?”

           Clarke sighed. “She’s scary enough.”

           “Anyway, like I said a thousand times before,” Raven began. “I decided against us rooming together because by the end of the year, we’d probably hate each other. I’m protecting our friendship.”

           “Well my sanity is suffering because of it,” Clarke huffed before looking at her watch. “Want to go grab something to eat?”

           “Sure.” Raven stood up. “Maybe something with chocolate will help calm you down.”

          

 

 

           Octavia was sitting at Lexa’s desk as she watched the brunette work on an assignment. “So word is out that you hate Clarke.”

           Lexa continued writing in her notebook as she responded nonchalantly. “And where did you hear that?”

           “Raven,” Octavia replied. “We talk and have fun together. That thing you are supposed to be doing with Clarke.”

           Lexa glanced at Octavia before returning to her work. “I don’t dislike her. I just want a roommate. Not a friend. Remember why I’m not rooming with you, Ms. Must-Party-Twenty-Four-Seven?”

           Octavia grinned. “Okay, fine. Just be nicer to her.”

           “I am nice,” Lexa protested, once again looking up from her assignment.

           “Lex, I know you,” Octavia said. “You are not nice. We met when we were six because you stabbed my balloon with a pencil and then threw it at me.”

           “You were hitting me in the head with it,” Lexa reminded her.

           Octavia shrugged. “Details. Just be less… grumpy. Making friends will be good for you. Branch out and enjoy life. Plus, I don’t know if you’ve noticed but Clarke is pretty hot.”

           Lexa had definitely noticed but she didn’t feel the need to let her friend know that. “It’s not something I pay attention to.”

           Octavia rolled her eyes and let out a dramatic sigh. “You are a pain.” She got up from the chair and gestured to the door. “We’re going out tonight. I’ll leave you to your nerd-dom for now.”

           “I don’t want to go out tonight,” Lexa said.

           “It’s a Friday night. No way are you staying in so you can write papers. It’s my duty as your best friend to make sure your social life isn’t complete shit.” As Octavia was leaving the room, Clarke had been about to unlock the door. “Hey, Clarke,” she smiled. “How’s it going?”

           “Pretty good.” It always surprised her that Octavia and Lexa were best friends. The two weren’t alike at all and she wondered why Octavia would put herself through the torture of dealing with the angry brunette. “How are you?”

           “Awesome,” Octavia replied, happily. “Hey, we’re going out tonight. Want to join us?”

           Lexa looked up from her textbook to glare at the back of Octavia’s head.

           Clarke saw the glare and looked unsure. “Does she want that?” She whispered.

           Octavia waved the comment off. “It’ll be fun. I’ll stop by to get you guys around eight.” Octavia glanced behind her and saw that Lexa was ignoring them. “Good luck with that one,” she whispered to Clarke before slipping out of the room.  

           Clarke entered her room and closed the door gently before going to sit down on her bed. She glanced over at Lexa, wondering if she should provoke the beast or not. Feeling daring, she greeted her roommate. “Hey.” Lexa grunted a response as she remained focused. Rolling her eyes, Clarke grabbed her notepad from her desk and busied herself with drawing.

 

 

           Lexa was irritated. Octavia had managed to talk her into going out and now she was at an off-campus party watching people make fools out of themselves. She was about to go look for Octavia when she saw a drunken boy making his way over to Clarke who was leaning against a wall looking equally as unamused. She watched as Clarke shook her head and smiled politely at the boy. Lexa assumed she was turning down a dance invitation. Clarke went to walk away but the boy stopped her and looked to be trying to convince Clarke to dance.

           Rolling her eyes, Lexa went over to the boy and stepped in front of Clarke. “Go away.”

           “What?” the boy frowned in confusion.

           “You,” Lexa pointed at the boy. “Leave.” She pointed across the room.

           The boy muttered something under his breath as he walked away.

           Clarke was surprised that Lexa had come over to help her out. She smiled, thinking maybe the brunette wasn’t as bad as she thought she was. “Thanks.”

           “I was bored,” Lexa replied. “It gave me something to do.”

           “You’re not having fun either?” Clarke asked.

           “This isn’t exactly my scene,” Lexa answered before walking away.

           Clarke shook her head at how abruptly her roommate had ended the conversation. Deciding a sarcastic and rude Lexa was better than leaning against the wall, Clarke followed the brunette out of the house.

           Lexa sat on the swinging bench on the porch where she planned to spend the rest of the night until Octavia was ready to go and was surprised to see Clarke moving to join her.

           “So,” Clarke began. “Why don’t you ever want to talk to me?”

           “We talk.”

           Clarke knew she should’ve grabbed a strong drink before joining Lexa. She would obviously need it to get through this conversation she was trying to have. “Not really. I’m pretty sure I haven’t done anything wrong.”

           “You’ve done nothing,” Lexa assured her. “Octavia says I lack social skills. I guess it’s true.”

           “Aren’t you majoring in law?” Clarke asked. “I’m pretty sure that requires a lot of human interaction.”

           “I just don’t want to be distracted,” Lexa answered. “I need to focus on school. I shouldn’t even be at this party. I could’ve written three pages of my essay by now. And aren’t you studying to be a doctor? You should be focused on school just as much as I am.”

           Clarke was offended. Was Lexa insinuating that she wasn’t taking her academics seriously? There really was no talking to this girl. Maybe it was better that they kept their communication to a minimum. Before she could voice her thoughts, Octavia stepped out onto the porch.

           “Oh no,” she shook her head. “Both of you inside. Get drunk and do something stupid.”

           “I’m your designated driver,” Lexa pointed out.

           “Well then at least do something stupid,” Octavia huffed. “You’re not just going to sit out here. Glad to see you two bonding, though.”

           “Wouldn’t exactly call it that,” Clarke muttered as she stood up.

           Lexa ignored the comment as she reluctantly got up as well. “You have one more hour before we’re leaving.”

           “Yeah, whatever,” Octavia said. “Enjoy yourself, Lexa. You only live once.”

           Once back in the house, Lexa headed into the living room to sit down on the couch and write out her essay on her phone. Clarke spotted one of her other friends in the crowd of bodies and was relieved she would have someone to preoccupy her time with.

           “Hey, Bellamy,” she said.

           Bellamy looked away from the girl he had been talking to and smiled at his friend. “Hey, you.” He nodded a goodbye to the girl and walked away with Clarke. “Raven drag you out here?”

           “Her and Octavia, yeah,” Clarke answered.

           “I saw your roommate earlier,” Bellamy said. “Are you still into her?”

           Clarke’s eyes widened. “What? I’m not into Lexa. I can barely stand her. Why do you think that?”

           Bellamy shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. You just talk about her all the time. We could be talking about something completely unrelated and Lexa somehow comes up in the conversation.”

           “Because she’s infuriating,” Clarke pointed out. “I can’t help but bring up all the ways in which she is a pain in my ass.”

           “Or,” Bellamy began, amused. “You have a thing for her.”

           Clarke looked at the boy in disbelief. “That is ridiculous. I definitely do not have a thing for Lexa. I barely know her.”

           Bellamy grinned. “Thou doth protest too much.”

           Clarke rolled her eyes. “I’m going to punch you.”

           The boy held his hands up in mock surrender. “Alright, alright. I’m shutting up. You don’t have a massive crush on your roommate. “Come on.” Bellamy gestured towards a game of beer pong. “Let’s play.”

           Clarke made a face. “That’s totally unsanitary,” she said as she watched someone drink from a cup that a ball had landed in.

           “Fine, but I’m going.” Bellamy walked away, leaving Clarke alone once more.

           Clarke sighed and glanced around for another friendly face but she only saw Lexa sitting in the living room. She was contemplating her next move when she saw a jock making his way over to her. She quickly turned and headed into the living room so that she could sit beside Lexa.  

           Lexa glanced beside her to see who was invading her personal space. When she saw that it was just Clarke, she returned her attention to her phone without saying a word. Clarke pulled out her own phone and began to play a game on it, hoping that time would go by quickly. She really just wanted to go home.

           As she played a game, she couldn’t help but think about Bellamy’s words. She would know if she had a crush on Lexa. She definitely didn’t. She was intrigued by the brunette and found her attractive but that was it. Okay, and maybe she admired how smart she was and enjoyed the moments when the brunette would smile in satisfaction when she completed an assignment. And there were possibly a few sketches of Lexa hidden in her desk drawer but that didn’t mean anything.

           Besides, she couldn’t stand Lexa. Clarke glanced over at the brunette and saw her biting her bottom lip in concentration. Her first thought was how hot Lexa looked and her eyes widened in surprise. _Shit._

Maybe she had a small, barely there crush.

            


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Clarke entered her dorm, shutting the door with force before throwing her things down and getting onto her bed. She grabbed her sketchpad from her desk and began to angrily sketch as a way to calm herself down.

           Lexa rolled her eyes at the distraction that was her roommate. She couldn’t possibly study with the noise that the blonde was making. “What is wrong with you?”

           Clarke was touched that Lexa cared enough to ask even if the brunette did sound annoyed by her presence.  

           “And can you condense it into two sentences? My time is valuable.”

           There was the Lexa she knew. She rolled her eyes and reached over her bed to pick up her backpack. She pulled out a paper and handed it over to Lexa. The law major took it, noticing the red C-minus that rested on the top of the calculus exam. “A C-minus, huh? That’s really close to below average.”

           Clarke didn’t know why she even tried to confide in her roommate. She must be a glutton for punishment. “I thought I had it. I don’t understand.”      

           “Clearly,” Lexa deadpanned as she looked at the exam.

           Clarke got up from the bed and snatched her exam back before sitting down. “You’re a jerk.”

           “Don’t be so sensitive,” Lexa said as she grabbed her headphones and went back to studying.

           Clarke glared at the side of the brunette’s head before getting up and leaving the room. She headed down the hall until she reached Raven’s room. She knocked and waited, hoping her best friend was inside.

           Seconds later, Octavia opened the door. “Hey, Raven’s not here.”

           Clarke entered the room anyway and began to pace as she spoke. “Is Lexa completely incapable of being a decent human being?” Clarke knew she wasn’t. Lexa had her sweet moments like when she helped her out at the party or just yesterday when she got excited over seeing a kitten but then quickly tried to fake indifference. Lexa had the ability to be nice. She just chose not to be. “How are you friends with her?”

           Octavia grinned. “What’d she do this time?”

           “She’s just… infuriating!” Clarke huffed. “Can I just chill here for a bit?”

           Octavia shrugged. “Go for it.”

           Clarke plopped down on Raven’s bed. “I’m totally getting a single room next year,” she muttered.

           Octavia moved to sit on the edge of her bed. “Lexa’s not big on feelings, but she’s not a bad person. Give her time. She’ll surprise you.”

           “Is that what you did?” Clarke asked. “Give her time?”

           “We’ve always gotten along no matter how much I’ve wanted to strangle her,” Octavia explained. “Besides, she amuses me.”

           “Bellamy’s your brother, right?” Clarke asked. “Is he friends with Lexa?”

           “They talk on occasion if they’re in the same space but they’re not  the best of friends or anything,” Octavia replied. “Why?”

           “He thinks I have a crush on her.” Clarke didn’t know why she brought it up. She shouldn’t have said anything remotely close to the idea of her liking Lexa because the look on Octavia’s face right now was like she had just discovered the Holy Grail.

           “Do you?” Octavia asked.

           “No,” Clarke scoffed. “Lexa’s not my type at all. I prefer the people I date to not have the potential for murder.”

           “If you say so,” Octavia said.

           Clarke mentally kicked herself again for bringing the topic up. She just knew Octavia was going to make something out of it. “I should go get some homework done.” Clarke got up from the bed.

           “You don’t want to wait for Raven?” Octavia asked.

           “I’ll text her,” Clarke replied before leaving the room so Octavia wouldn’t ask her any questions about her feelings for Lexa. _Feelings for Lexa._ Clarke groaned internally at the thought. Why did she have to develop a miniscule crush on a massive jerk?

           Clarke entered her room and saw that Lexa was still in bed studying with her headphones in. As she moved to get on her bed, she frowned when she saw a class schedule on her pillow. She picked it up and looked at Lexa. “What’s this?” When she didn’t get a response, she reached over and pulled the cord to Lexa’s headphones so the earbud fell out of her ear. “What is this?”

           Lexa sighed and glanced at the blonde. “It’s my class schedule along with my extracurricular activities listed on the side.”

           “Okay, why do I have it?” Clarke asked, still confused.

           “So you can compare it to your schedule and figure out when we both have the same free time. I took AP calculus in high school,” Lexa informed her. “I passed with an A plus. I figured I could tutor you since you so desperately need it.”

           Clarke perked up at hearing this. “Really? You’d do that?”

           “I have a going rate,” Lexa added.

           Clarke’s shoulders dropped and she sat down on the edge of her bed. “Of course you do.” Clarke knew she probably wouldn’t be able to afford whatever came out of Lexa’s mouth but she figured she’d hear her out. “What is it?”

           Lexa nodded towards the guitar that rested in the corner of Clarke’s side of the room. “I’ve always wanted to learn.”

           Clarke’s eyes widened slightly. “You want me to teach you how to play the guitar?”

           “Yeah, so are you in?” Lexa asked.

           “I am,” Clarke said, happily. “Thank you.”

           “I’m assuming your schedule isn’t as heavy as mine. The most productive thing I’ve seen you do since school started was organize your side of the room.”

           Clarke shook her head. “Way to ruin our moment. I’ll look at our schedules and figure out the best days for us. Should this be a twice a week thing? Do you have any preferences?”

           “My preference right now would be for you to stop talking.” Lexa had gone back to studying and was no longer interested in conversation.

           Clarke threw her hands up in disbelief. She moved further onto her bed, wondering if having Lexa as a tutor was really the best idea. She glanced over at her roommate and saw a hint of a smile playing at her lips as she copied notes into her notebook. Rolling her eyes, Clarke founds herself smiling too. This was going to be interesting.

“Okay, wait,” Raven looked at Clarke as they walk through campus on their way to their dorm building, Ark Hall. “Lexa offered to tutor you… and you accepted?”

           “I need the help,” Clarke stated. “And it’ll be good for us to spend the time together.”

           Raven side-eyed her friend. “So are you getting tutoring because you want to pass calculus or is it an excuse to spend time with Lexa?”

           “Both,” Clarke replied, honestly. “I want my roommate to not hate me.”

           Raven quirked a brow. “Okay, I’m just wondering because Octavia said that she thinks you have a crush on Lexa.”

           Clarke knew this was going to come back and bite her in the ass. “Octavia doesn’t know what she’s talking about.” Clarke checked the time on her phone and decided she should run to the store. “I’m going to the store. Want to come with?”

           “Sure,” Raven said, turning towards the parking lot where Clarke’s car was parked near Ark Hall. “What are you getting?”

           “Just snacks for this tutoring session. Lexa snacks on strawberries and cool whip. I’m gonna pick her up some as a thank you.”

           Raven smirked. “As a thank you? What do you plan on doing with that cool whip?”

           Clarke bumped her shoulder into Raven’s. “Don’t be a pervert.” As they headed for her car, Clarke couldn’t push away the thoughts of what she could do with Lexa and whipped cream in that small dorm of theirs.

          


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Clarke was sitting on the floor of her and Lexa’s dorm room, leaning against her bed while Lexa sat beside her. Clarke was tapping the end of her pencil against her textbook as she tried to figure out the problem that Lexa had asked her to solve. Lexa watched on in amusement as Clarke’s frustration grew. She had shown the girl how to do the problem three times but Clarke still didn’t get it and apparently she wasn’t willing to admit defeat.

           Lexa’s hand shot out, placing it over Clarke’s in order to stop the pencil from once again hitting the textbook. “Do you need me to show you again?”

           “No, I’ve got it,” Clarke said, not wanting to admit that she still didn’t understand.

           “The only thing you’ve got is a very annoying habit.” Lexa took the pencil from Clarke so she wouldn’t start beating it against the book again.

           “Can we take a break?” Clarke asked.

           Lexa quirked a brow. “We’ve only been doing this for half an hour. How’d you even make it into college?”

           Clarke rolled her eyes and snatched the pencil from Lexa before going back to glaring at the piece of paper in front of her. Lexa watched as Clarke glanced back and forth between the textbook and the paper, hoping to figure it out. She found herself smiling at Clarke’s cute frown.

           “Here.” Lexa let Clarke keep the pencil, but she placed her hand over the blonde’s to guide her in her writing.

           Clarke let Lexa guide her hand and she tried her hardest to pay attention but Lexa’s hand was soft and warm, which she found very distracting. She heard Lexa say something about derivatives and couldn’t help but think how sexy the word sounded falling from Lexa’s lips.

           “And that’s it,” Lexa finished saying. “Do you get that?”

           Clarke snapped back to the matter at hand. “Um, yeah!” She said, overenthusiastically. “Totally get it. Could you maybe show me one more time just in case?”

           Lexa narrowed her eyes at Clarke. “You weren’t listening.”

           “Yes I was,” Clarke shot back.

           Lexa sighed and removed her hand from Clarke’s. “I’m not doing this for my benefit, Clarke.”

           “I know. I’m sorry. I just got distracted,” Clarke explained, sheepishly.

           “By what?” Lexa asked with a sigh. “The sound of your future dying? You need to pay attention.”

           “Okay, geez,” Clarke huffed. “Give me another problem.”

           Lexa wrote out another equation and watched as Clarke set about solving it. Her eyes dropped down to Clarke’s lips as the blonde nibbled at her bottom lip in concentration.

           “Okay,” Clarke said after a few more seconds. She picked up the paper and handed it over to Lexa.

           Lexa took the pencil from Clarke and rewrote the problem on the bottom of the page so she could rework it herself. Once she was done, she looked at her roommate and Clarke thought the expression on Lexa’s face was something along the lines of unwillingly impressed. “You got it right.”

           Clarke smiled brightly. “Yeah?”

           Lexa nodded with a small smile of her own. “Yeah.”

           “I told you I was listening,” Clarke said, playfully.

           “You got lucky,” Lexa stated. “And we can take a break.”

           Clarke let out a breath of relief. “Thank you.”

           “I really just want you to bring me over the strawberries and cool whip you so kindly got for me,” Lexa admitted. She had actually been surprised when Clarke told her she bought her favorite snack. She didn’t think the blonde paid that much attention to her.

           Clarke couldn’t help but chuckle at Lexa’s admission. She got up from the floor and stretched, causing her shirt to rise up. Lexa stared at Clarke’s exposed stomach before quickly looking away, busying herself with checking her phone. Clarke pulled the strawberries out of the small fridge and rinsed them using the sink that was placed near the bathroom.  She then grabbed the cool whip before moving to sit back down next to the brunette.  

           “Thanks,” Lexa said as she took the plastic carton.

           Clarke watched as Lexa dipped the fruit into the cool whip and nearly died as the brunette ate it. She followed the way Lexa’s tongue slipped out and licked her lips before the brunette took a bite of the rest of the strawberry.

           Lexa held out the carton to Clarke and quirked a brow, asking if she wanted one without actually speaking.

           Clarke smiled her thanks as she took a strawberry.  She wouldn’t have anymore. If the strawberries were to finish too quickly, she wouldn’t be able to take delight in watching Lexa eat them. Delight in watching Lexa eat strawberries? Clarke began to panic. This was definitely a crush, right? _No_ , lust. It was lust. She was simply attracted to Lexa. That wasn’t a big deal. She could handle lust.

           Lexa watched as Clarke’s face took on several expressions; panic, confusion and realization. “Did you just have an epiphany?”

           Clarke’s attention snapped to Lexa. “Um, yeah. I guess you could say that.”

           Lexa licked her lips again before reaching for another strawberry. “Was it something along the lines of how important it is for you to take this tutoring session seriously? I’m surprised you even managed a C-minus, Clarke. Your mathematical skills are horrendous. You shouldn’t even be taking the class. You belong in Math one-o-one.”

           Clarke closed her eyes and took a deep breath, counting from ten backwards in her head.

           Lexa smirked at the action and closed the strawberry carton along with the cool whip. “Are you ready to continue?”

           Clarke opened her eyes and looked at Lexa with curiosity.  “Are your parents strict or something? Is there a reason you’re so… you?”

           “My parents were very lovely people, actually,” Lexa said, nonchalantly.

           Clarke frowned. “Were?”

           “Yes… were.” Lexa pulled out a fresh piece of paper and began to write a math equation on it. “Solve three more problems and we can be done.”

           Clarke knew to drop the subject but her heart hurt for Lexa. She would have to ask Octavia about Lexa’s parents at some point. “And then your guitar lessons?” Clarke asked, not sure if she had ruined Lexa’s mood. She wasn’t even sure what the brunette’s mood had been before she asked. Lexa’s mood just always seemed to bounce from irritated to more irritated.

           “And then guitar lessons,” Lexa confirmed. “I’m not suffering through this tutoring session for no reason.”

           Clarke rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time since the tutoring session had started and she began to work on the problem Lexa had written out for her. There was definitely more to Lexa than the brunette allowed people to see and Clarke wanted to see that side of her.

 

 

           Half an hour later, Clarke was teaching Lexa about the fretboard and found it amusing how interested the brunette was in her every word.

           "Those are the basics so far." Clarke handed the guitar over to Lexa. Lexa took the guitar and waited for further instruction. "I'll teach you some basic chords and once you've got them down, I'll teach you a song."

           "It better not be _Wonderwall."_ Lexa knew that was everyone's go to song and it seemed that people who didn't even play guitar knew that song.

Clarke chuckled. "No worries. It's not that song."

           Clarke spent a good amount of time going over the chords before she thought that Lexa's fingers might be hurting. "How are your fingers?"

           "Fine." They hurt a bit but Lexa wasn't one to quit.

           "They have to be hurting a little," Clarke insisted. "I remember how much it hurt when I first started learning."

           "Maybe I'm not as fragile as you," Lexa stated.

           "Does anything nice ever come out of your mouth?" Clarke regretted the words as soon as she said them because now she was thinking about the nice things Lexa could probably do to her with her mouth.

           "I'm honest," Lexa insisted. "Not mean."

           "You're blunt and it rubs people the wrong way."

           "People or you?" Lexa asked, amused.

           "People." Okay, so Clarke was talking about herself but she didn't want Lexa knowing that.

           Lexa smirked, knowing Clarke was lying. "I guess I'll work on my people skills."

           "Good," Clarke said. "I'm hungry. Maybe we should get something to eat. I mean, if you're hungry too."

           Lexa contemplated it for a moment. Clarke’s company wasn’t horrible and she was hungry but she did want to get a head start on one of her essays.

           “Come on,” Clarke urged. “It’ll be on me. We can go to Grounders. I love their burgers.” Clarke knew Lexa loved Grounders as well. She had seen plenty of milkshake cups on her desk from the diner.

           “My sensible side, which is about ninety-five percent of me, says I should stay here and work on my essay.”

           “And your other side?” Clarke asked.

           “Is saying that you’re probably going to talk my ear off and I should avoid going with you at all costs. Either way, I shouldn’t go.”

           Clarke had the passing thought that she needed to purchase a stress ball in order to communicate with Lexa in the future. “I’m going to keep asking until you say yes. I can be very annoying.”

           Lexa handed Clarke her guitar and stood up. “I’m aware.” She sat down at her desk and opened her laptop. “I should get my work done.”

           Clarke closed the laptop gently and forced Lexa’s swivel chair around so that the brunette was facing her. “We’re going to Grounders. I swear I’ll show you a whole new level of annoying.”

           Lexa rolled her eyes and checked the time on her phone. It was still early. “Fine, but don’t forget that you said you’re paying.”

           Clarke smiled triumphantly as she put her guitar away. She was going to get to know Lexa even if she had to drag the brunette kicking and screaming into this friendship.   

           “I’m driving,” Lexa said as she grabbed her car keys from her desk. “I’d like to make it to Grounders in one piece.”

           Clarke sighed as she grabbed her jacket. Maybe she’d have to pick up that stress ball before they reached Grounders.    

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

           "Art is more of something I do for me. I’m more interested in being a doctor. I want to help people," Clarke said as she reached down to pick up a fry. When she realized she had finished her small basket of fries, she frowned. Lexa smiled at the action and pushed her own fries towards Clarke. Clarke quirked a brow. "What do I owe you for sharing your fries? Besides guitar lessons, I don't think I have much to offer you," she joked.

           Lexa shrugged. "I might want to know how to draw a perfect circle one day."

           "Yes, because that's all my art skills amount to," Clarke huffed, but she was smiling. "So, what about you? Why a lawyer?" Clarke saw the change in Lexa happen immediately and prepared herself for whatever sarcastic remark was about to leave the brunette.

           "You ask too many questions," Lexa said as she picked up a fry. "This is a hang-out, not an interrogation." Clarke smirked and Lexa narrowed her eyes. "What?"

           "I think I'm figuring you out," Clarke said, simply before reaching for another fry. She frowned when Lexa pulled the basket away from her.

           "What do you mean?"

           Clarke didn't want to tell the brunette that she thought her rude and sarcastic behavior was a defense mechanism so she simply shrugged. "Hold the fries hostage if you want. I was full anyway."

           Lexa rolled her eyes and pushed the basket back to the middle of the table. "Remind me why I agreed to join you."

           "Because it's a free meal," Clarke said. "Now stop being grumpy. Tell me something about yourself without being a jerk."

           Lexa sighed and thought some things over in her head but couldn't think of anything she cared to divulge to her roommate. “I can tie a cherry stem with my tongue.”

           Clarke hadn’t been expecting that response and her cheeks flushed as soon as her mind went somewhere it definitely shouldn’t be going. “That’s,” Clarke cleared her throat. “That’s not exactly what I was looking for.”

           Lexa sighed. “I told you something about myself and I wasn’t a jerk about it. I’m pretty sure those were the two guidelines you gave me. You should’ve been more specific.”

           Clarke looked at Lexa, unamused. “Tell me something about yourself that elicits an actual emotion from you.”

           Lexa’s shoulders dropped in exasperation. “Why do you want to know about me?”

           “Because I want to be friends,” Clarke said, simply. “So stop being an asshole and reveal something interesting about yourself on a deeper level.”

           “I like flowers,” Lexa replied with a shrug.

           Clarke shook her head. “One, that’s not exactly deep but I’ll take it. Two, it’s actually kind of cute that you like flowers. I wouldn’t expect that from you.”

           “I know the meaning of almost every flower. My mom used to take me to flower shops all the time.”

           “Your-,”

           “That wasn’t me giving you leeway to ask even more questions, Clarke,” Lexa cut her off.

           “You’re impossible,” Clarke sighed. She picked up her cell phone and looked at Lexa expectantly. “What’s your phone number?”

           Lexa frowned. “The idea of you being able to annoy me no matter where you are isn’t exactly appealing.”

           “Lexa,” Clarke huffed.

           Lexa reached over for Clarke’s phone, accidentally brushing her fingers over her hand as she did so. Clarke’s heart skipped in her chest at the feeling and she fought the urge to roll her eyes at the effect that the simple touch had on her. “There,” Lexa handed the phone back.

           Clarke looked at her suspiciously. “It better not be one of those fake numbers.” She called the number that Lexa had just given her and the brunette’s phone began to vibrate on the table.

           Lexa picked up her phone and added Clarke to her contact list with a smirk.

           Clarke looked at her suspiciously. “What did you put my contact name in there as?”

           “No more questions, remember?” Lexa checked the time. “We should get going. I have assignments to get done.”

           “Yeah, so do I. Let me just go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”

           After Clarke left, Lexa gained the attention of her waitress in order to ask for the bill. When Clarke returned a few minutes later, Lexa had the tip sitting on the table and was on her phone.                    

           “Ready?” Lexa asked.

           Clarke looked at the brunette in disbelief. “You paid the bill?”

           “Yeah.” Lexa stood up. “The waitress came over and I figured I’d just go ahead and pay since you ran off.”

           “I didn’t run off. I went to the bathroom. I was totally going to pay,” Clarke stated.

           “I just assumed that you were plotting a way to escape and stick me with the bill.  Come on, let’s go.”

           Clarke sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, telling herself that strangling the brunette would ruin the progress that she had made with her.

           Lexa smirked at the action and waited a beat before speaking. “Are you done?”

           Clarke opened her eyes and narrowed them at Lexa. “You’re a jerk.”

           “So you’ve said.” Lexa headed for the exit and opened the door, pulling it open for Clarke to walk through first.

           The blonde was surprised by the gesture and thanked Lexa as she walked outside. “Hey, we should-,”

           “I’m going back to the dorm,” Lexa cut her off. “You can do whatever you want. Now stop talking. I’m trying to mentally plan out the rest of my day since this impromptu lunch has thrown my schedule off.”

           Clarke rolled her eyes as she made her way to Lexa’s car. “Geez, you’re so high-strung. Just breathing the same air as you is stressing me out.” Clarke got into the car and when Lexa got in as well, she looked over at her. “Thanks for paying for lunch.”

           Lexa started her car before glancing over at the blonde. “Yeah, no problem.” She put on her seatbelt and could feel Clarke burning a hole into the side of her head as she looked at her expectantly. Rolling her eyes, she added, “Thanks for inviting me out…”

           Clarke smiled triumphantly.

           “Even though you pretty much forced me.”

           Clarke rolled her eyes but her smile never wavered.

 

 

Two weeks later…

           Clarke was sitting with Raven outside as they leaned against a tree doing homework before the weekend started.

           “So,” Raven began as she worked on her assignment. “You and Lexa have been hanging out a lot.”

           “I’ve been teaching her the guitar and she’s been tutoring me,” Clarke stated. “You know that.”

           “Okay, but I saw you two at Grounders yesterday,” Raven stated. “That’s the third time in three weeks.”

           “We go once a week,” Clarke answered as she continued writing notes from her textbook. “It’s just something we do.”

           “So you’re friends now?” Raven asked, trying to pry for information.

           Clarke paused for a moment as she thought about it. “Yeah, I guess we kind of are.”

           Raven pulled a folded piece of paper out from her backpack and handed it over to Clarke. “This fell out of your textbook when you were over studying last night.”

           Clarke took the paper and unfolded it. Her eyes widened in horror when she saw that it was the picture she had drawn of a sleeping Lexa. “I… um.”

           “Have a massive crush on Lexa Woods,” Raven finished for her.

           Clarke’s shoulders slumped. There was no point in denying it. “Yeah, that might be true.”

           Raven grinned. “It’s totally true! Ohmygod, you and Lexa. That’s crazy.”

           “She’s not into me, Raven,” Clarke replied, miserably. “I’ve been dropping hints.”

           “Clarke, your version of dropping hints is saying ‘hi’ and hoping that the person can read your mind in order to tell that you really mean ‘I want in your pants.’ It’s okay, though. We’ll work on it.”

           “We’re not working on anything. Lexa isn’t interested in a relationship.”

           Raven scoffed. “You’re not going to get anywhere with that mindset.”

           “I asked her if she liked anyone and she laughed,” Clarke stated. “She said she doesn’t have time for the emotional exhaustion.”

           “Well isn’t she just cheery,” Raven said, sarcastically. “If she feels that way, then change her mind,” she said as if it would be the easiest thing to do. “Man, Octavia is totally going to die when she hears about this.”

           Clarke’s eyes widened. “Raven, no. You can’t tell Octavia. She’ll tell Lexa.”

           “Right,” Raven said. “Okay, I won’t say anything. We totally need to figure out what we’re going to do about this crush, though. I’ll do some recon for you and then you can make your move on Lexa.”

           “Wait, what?” Clarke shook her head. “No, I’m not doing anything.”

           “You haven’t liked anyone in so long,” Raven pointed out. “I’m not letting this opportunity for your love life to improve to slip away.”

           Clarke groaned. She knew her best friend wasn’t going to let this go. “Okay, fine. Help me get Lexa.”

 

 

           “Why are you staring at me?” Lexa was sitting on Octavia’s bed next to her friend as they studied. Well, she was studying; Octavia had been flipping through a magazine.

           Octavia gestured to the magazine. “There’s a quiz on here and I just took it for you.”

           Lexa sighed, deciding to bite. “Okay, what’s the quiz?”

           “When to tell that you have a crush,” Octavia replied. “According to Cosmopolitan you’re in deep with Clarke.”

           “That magazine is trash,” Lexa said, ignoring Octavia’s words. “You’ve probably lost thirty percent of your brain cells reading it.”

           “Don’t change the subject,” Octavia said. “You have a crush on Clarke.”

           “You can’t verify that based off a magazine quiz that _you_ took for me.” Lexa went back to studying but she should’ve known that Octavia wouldn’t drop the subject.

           “You bought her a smoothie the other day just because,” Octavia pointed out.

           “She hadn’t tried it before and I thought she’d like it,” Lexa answered. “It wasn’t a big deal.”

           “This is you we’re talking about. It’s a big deal. Just admit you have a crush and I’ll drop it,” Octavia said.

           “I do not have a crush,” Lexa replied. “I’m not interested in Clarke like that.”

           Octavia smirked. “Yeah, okay,” she said, sarcastically. “I’m going out tonight. You’re coming. Don’t bother arguing. It’ll be a tamer environment. A group of us are going to the movies and then bowling.”

           Lexa shook her head. “Neither of those things interests me.”

           “But Clarke does and she’ll be there so…”

           “Shut up, Octavia,” Lexa sighed. “Clarke doesn’t int-,”

           “She does and you’re going.” Octavia closed her magazine and got up from the bed. “You need a new outfit. Something that’ll make Clarke drool. We’re going to the mall.”

           “Absolutely not,” Lexa replied as she closed her textbook and got up from the bed. “I’m going to my dorm where I can’t hear you.” She grabbed her backpack from the floor.

           Octavia laughed. “See you tonight. I’ll come and drag you out of that room if you try to bail.”

           “I can’t bail on something I haven’t agreed to,” Lexa pointed out before leaving.

           Octavia shook her head. Lexa was going to be difficult about this but that was fine. She was used to the brunette’s ways. She pulled out her phone and texted Raven.

Octavia[4:05pm]: What’d Clarke say?

Raven[4:11pm]: She totally has a crush! What about Lexa?

Octavia[4:12pm]: She’s in a state of denial but I’m working on it. Mission ‘get these bitches together’ is now in progress.

          

 

          

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

           The group of friends; including Bellamy, Wells, Jasper and Monty, entered the theatre and decided on a row in the middle. Octavia was quickly displeased when Wells and Bellamy sat down on either side of Clarke. She looked at Raven and the engineer major gave her a look that said, “figure something out.”

           “Oh man, I forgot to get candy,” Octavia said. “Lexa can you go?”

           Lexa frowned. “You said you didn’t want candy.”

           “I’ve changed my mind.”

           Bellamy shook his head in exasperation. “I’ll go.”

           Octavia pushed him back into his seat as he stood up. “Lexa’s got it. Clarke can you go with her?”

           “I don’t need a babysitter,” Lexa assured her.

           “Except you do,” Octavia said. “The last time we were here you made the guy at the concession stand cry.”

           Monty happily stood up. “I’ll go with her,” he smiled at Lexa but it quickly faded as the brunette glared at him.

           Clarke stood up and began to move out of the isle. “It’s fine. I’ll go.”

           As soon as they were out of the theatre, Octavia looked down at her brother. “Scoot over.”

           Bellamy frowned. “Why? I’m comfortable.”

           Octavia glared at him. “Bellamy, I will physically hurt you. Scoot the hell over.”

           “What’s wrong with you?” He asked as he moved so that he was sitting next to Wells.

           “I have seating arrangements that need to be followed,” Octavia explained as she sat down next to her brother.

           “Yeah, Clarke and Lexa need to sit together,” Raven added as she sat down at the end of the isle, leaving two seats free between her and Octavia.

           Bellamy chuckled when he realized what they were doing. “You two need to stay out of whatever’s happening between them.”

           Octavia shook her head. “If we do that, they’ll never get together.”

           Wells looked curiously at the two girls. “Lexa doesn’t really seem like Clarke’s type.”

           Raven looked at her friend. “Shut it, Wells. We don’t need your negative vibe ruining the atmosphere.”

           Wells held his hands up in mock surrender. “I’m just saying, Lexa seems… different than Clarke’s usual type.”

           “Clarke’s usual types suck so that’s a good thing,” Raven stated.

           “Sh, they’re coming back,” Octavia said.

           Lexa froze when she noticed the seats had changed. She looked questioningly at Octavia who smiled at her innocently. She sat down next to her friend and handed her the candy she asked for.

           Clarke sat down next to Raven and quirked an eyebrow at her friend.          

           “What?” Raven asked before shoving popcorn into her mouth.

           Clarke shook her head. “Unbelievable,” she muttered before sitting down next to Lexa. The arm rest between them had been raised so she went to pull it down but it wouldn’t budge. Rolling her eyes, she set her drink in the arm rest to her right instead. This was going to be an interesting hour and a half.

 

 

           Thirty minutes into the movie, Clarke wished she had argued more against a scary movie. She took a deep breath after her most recent scare but before she could fully get her heart rate back down, something on the screen scared her again. She reached beside her, grasping onto Lexa’s hand. When she realized what she had done, she pulled it away and smiled sheepishly. “Sorry.”

           Lexa smirked. “I didn’t take you for someone who’d be afraid of scary movies,” she whispered.

           “I know. Living with you is a scary movie within itself,” Clarke stated. “I shouldn’t be troubled by this at all.”

           Lexa let out a light laugh and went back to watching the movie. Clarke was surprised that the brunette didn’t have a retort for her. As Lexa continued to watch and be unfazed by the movie, she saw Clarke jump slightly from the corner of her eye. She leaned over to the blonde and whispered to her, “Let’s go.”      

           “Where?” Clarke asked.

           “Would you rather sit here and jump in your seat every two seconds?” Lexa asked. “Move your ass, Griffin.”

           Clarke stood up, not daring to look at Raven, who would probably wiggle her eyebrows at her suggestively for leaving with Lexa. When they made it out of the theatre, she looked to the brunette. “Where are we going?”

           “I guess we’ll walk around outside until the movie is over,” Lexa replied.

           Clarke frowned. “Wait, no. You paid for that movie. You don’t have to miss it.”

           “I’d rather miss it then spend tonight listening to you toss and turn because you’re having a nightmare about a movie that wasn’t even scary,” Lexa replied.

           Clarke sighed and followed Lexa out of the building. “It was scary.”

           “Yeah, if you’re ten.” Lexa took in the fresh air as they walked outside, shoving her hands into her jacket pockets. “So you and that Wells guy seem pretty close.”

           Clarke nodded. “We are. We grew up together. He’s the closest thing I have to a brother. We don’t get to see a lot of each other since he goes to a different school but we hangout when we can. Do you have any siblings?” Clarke asked, curiously.

           “An older brother,” Lexa replied. “Lincoln.”

           Clarke was surprised that Lexa had a sibling and even more surprised that the brunette had answered her question. “Is he as lovely to be around as you?” she joked.

           Lexa smiled. “He’s the nice one. He actually goes here. He’s in his last year.”

           “I can’t believe how much I don’t know about you.” Clarke rubbed her arms as the wind blew lightly. “Are you two not close?”

           “We are. I see him all the time. I’m sure you’ve seen him with me too. I’ll introduce you one day.” Lexa shrugged off her jacket and held it out to Clarke without looking at the blonde.

           “It’s okay. I’m fine,” Clarke assured her.

           “I don’t get sick easily,” Lexa replied. “You’ve been sick twice since the school year started. I’ll give up my jacket to ensure that I don’t have to listen to you being miserable.”

           Clarke wanted to glare at the brunette but a smile played at her lips instead. She took the little leather jacket and slipped it on. “Thank you.”

           “No need to thank me. I’m doing it more for myself than you.”

           Clarke was amused by Lexa’s words. “Can’t you just admit that you do nice things because you’re actually kind of a nice person? I could probably fill a page with all the nice things you’ve done for me,” she added. “Well, maybe half a page.”

           “I do nice things if they benefit me,” Lexa answered.      

           “And what benefit did you get from randomly buying me a smoothie?” Clarke asked, thinking she finally had Lexa where she wanted her.

           “As long as you were drinking that smoothie, you weren’t talking and I could study.”

           Clarke opened her mouth to argue but decided to let it go. She would let Lexa have that one. “There’s an ice cream parlor across the street.”

           “Okay, but you’re paying,” Lexa said as she made her way towards the parlor. Clarke smiled and followed Lexa, wondering what other information she could get out of the brunette about her life. 

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

           Lexa helped a drunk Clarke into their room and deposited the blonde onto her bed before moving over to her own. Octavia had opted to skip bowling and go to a house party, which was why Clarke was in her current state. Well, actually, the fact that Octavia had challenged Clarke to a drinking match was why she was in her current state. Lexa watched on in amusement as Clarke grabbed her pillow and cuddled into it, ready to fall asleep. Shaking her head, Lexa spoke. “Clarke, you can’t sleep like that. You still have your boots on. That’s unsanitary.” Clarke responded with a grunt before burying her face into her pillow.

           Rolling her eyes, Lexa got up and moved over to Clarke. “I like you drunk. You don’t talk as much,” she muttered as she undid the zipper on Clarke’s boots. She set them down side by side near the bed before moving to pull off the jacket that she had let Clarke borrow. As she tried to remove the jacket, Clarke swatted her hands away and rolled over so that her back was facing Lexa.

           Lexa smiled and placed a blanket over Clarke before getting ready for bed herself. Once dressed in pajama pants and a t-shirt, Lexa got into bed and was moments away from falling asleep when she heard Clarke talking to her.

           “Lexa,” the blonde said, tiredly. “Thanks for leaving the movie for me.”

           “Yeah, it’s whatever,” Lexa brushed it off.

           “You’re a really sweet jerk,” Clarke mumbled.

           Lexa smiled but feigned irritation as she spoke. “Go to sleep, Clarke.”

           Things were silent for a few minutes but then Clarke spoke again. “Lexa?”

           The brunette sighed. “Yes, Clarke?”

           “You’re really pretty.”

           Lexa blushed at the blonde’s words. “You’re drunk. You don’t know what you’re saying. Sleep, Clarke.”

           “I like the way you say my name,” the inebriated girl admitted. “You make it sound… soft.”

           Lexa’s blush deepened. “You’re being ridiculous. If you keep talking, I’ll smother you with your pillow.” Clarke laughed at the threat and Lexa rolled her eyes. “I take it back. I prefer you sober.” When Lexa didn’t get a response, she figured her roommate had finally fallen asleep. She let out a breath of relief and closed her eyes but then…

           “Lexa?”

           “Ohmygod, Clarke. What part of ‘smother you with your pillow’ did you not understand?”

           “I really like having you as a friend. Night.”

           Lexa softened at Clarke’s words. “Yeah, me too. Goodnight.” Lexa knew for sure Clarke was asleep when she heard the blonde begin to lightly snore. She smiled at the sound that she wasn’t used to hearing. Apparently a drunk Clarke also tended to snore. Surprisingly, instead of keeping her up, the sound lulled her to sleep.

 

 

           Clarke’s eyes fluttered open and she groaned at the light that was shining into the room.

           “Glad to see you’re still amongst the living.” Lexa grabbed her backpack up from beside her bed. “I hope you didn’t drool all over my jacket.”

           Clarke sighed. “Can I get like five minutes before you start? And I don’t drool.”

           “I’m going to the library for a bit. The place is all yours. Try not to throw up on any of my stuff.”

           Clarke rubbed her eyes. “I hope I projectile vomit all over your side of the room,” she groaned, miserably. “What time is it?”

           “It’s eight.”

           Clarke groaned again and turned around, placing her pillow over her head so she could go back to sleep.

           Lexa smiled at the action. “If anyone should be tired, it’s me. Your snoring was god awful.”

           “I don’t snore,” Clarke huffed. “Go away.”

           Lexa grinned. “Take a shower. You smell like a brewery.”

           “I do not!” Clarke exclaimed from under the pillow. The only response she was met with was the sound of the door closing.

          

 

           Clarke slept for another three hours before finally getting up to take a shower. When she excited the bathroom wrapped in a towel, she immediately saw coffee and a brown bag sitting on her desk with a post-it note on it. She went over to the bag and pulled the note off of it.

           _Be productive, bum. I can’t believe you slept in so long._

Clarke smiled and opened the bag, revealing a bagel and a small container with cream cheese. “So damn sweet,” she whispered to herself. She grabbed her phone and typed out a text message to Lexa.

 

Clarke[11:24am]: Thank you for breakfast!

Lexa[11:35am]: Just wanted you fed before I have to deal with you. You get progressively annoying when you’re hungry.  

Clarke rolled her eyes at the message.

Clarke[11:36am]: Can’t you just say ‘you’re welcome’ like any normal person?

Lexa[11:38am]: No.

Clarke shook her head and bit her bottom lip as she smiled.

Clarke[11:39am]: Where are you?

Lexa[11:41am]: Octavia’s room. And no, Raven isn’t here. She just left.

           Clarke heard a knock at the door. She looked through the peephole and saw Raven. She opened the door and her friend strolled right in.

           “So,” Raven began with a smirk. “Have fun last night?”

           Clarke moved to her dresser and pulled clothes out. “What are you talking about?”

           “You and Lexa ditching the movie.” Raven wiggled her eyebrows. “What’d you two get up to?” 

           Clarke rolled her eyes as she pulled clothes from her closet. “I told you last night that all we did was talk and go to the ice cream parlor.”

           “Ice cream parlor is totally code for something,” Raven insisted.

           “It isn’t,” Clarke assured her before disappearing into the bathroom to put her clothes on.

           “Well you two are just boring,” Raven sighed. “What happened when you got back here?”

           “We fell asleep.” Clarke opened the bathroom door and stuck her head out. “In our own beds. Get your mind out of the gutter, Raven.”

           “You were supposed to make a move. Last night would’ve been the perfect time. You had liquid confidence and everything.”

           “Sorry to disappoint,” Clarke said, sarcastically. She exited the bathroom and ran a hand through her damp hair. “I just can’t tell if she’s into me.”

           Raven dropped her head back and let out a groan. “You’re hopeless.” She looked at her friend. “It’s okay. I can work with hopeless.”

           Clarke grabbed sneakers from the closet and slipped them on. “Want to come with me somewhere?”

           Raven quirked a brow. “Vague, much?”

           Clarke reached for her hoodie hanging in the closet but then stopped, remembering she still had Lexa’s jacket. “Yes or no?”

           Raven shrugged. “Sure.”

           Clarke grabbed the jacket from her bed and slipped it on. “Alright, let’s go.”

 

 

           “You denying that you have a thing for Clarke is making me want to punch you,” Octavia sighed.

           “I was nice to her. That doesn’t mean I want a lifelong commitment,” Lexa said as she sat next to Octavia on her bed.

           “You love scary movies,” Octavia stated. “You left for Clarke. It’s sweet. I don’t understand why you’re so opposed to dating her.”

           “You sound so sure that she would even be interested.”

           “You’ll never know unless you do something about your crush.”

           “I never said I had a crush. I’m not interested in a relationship. They’re just inconvenient.”

           “Why? Because they make you acknowledge that you have feelings?” Octavia asked. “Is this because of Costia?”

           Lexa sighed in irritation. “I don’t want to talk about her.”

           “Fine, be stubborn. I just think you and Clarke would be super cute together.”

           “Even if I did like Clarke, she would deserve more than what I could give her,” Lexa said, thoughtfully. “I’m… I’m not capable of being what people need me to be in relationships.” The brunette shook her head. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter because I’m not interested in Clarke.”

           Octavia nodded. “Got it. Not interested in Clarke.” Octavia pulled out her phone and sent a text to Raven.

Octavia[12:01pm]: Lexa isn’t going to be easy… like at all.

 

 

           Clarke looked over at the owner of the flower shop that she was in with Raven. “Excuse me, which one of these means thank you?”

           The older woman smiled at Clarke. “The pink rose stands for appreciation. Will that work for you?”

           “Yes, that’s perfect,” Clarke said, happily. “And what about friendship?”

           The lady gestured to the yellow roses. “That would be these.”

           “Awesome,” Clarke smiled. “Please tell me there’s one for drama queen?”

           “Dramatic,” The woman picked up an amaryllis flower.

           Raven smiled at how giddy her friend looked as the woman handed her the flower. If Lexa liked flowers as much as Clarke said she did, then the brunette was definitely going to love Clarke’s gift to her. Raven felt her phone buzz and she read the message that she had received from Octavia. Smiling, she quickly responded.

Raven[12:04pm]: Clarke might have this all on her own.

           Raven thought for a moment before sending another text.

Raven[12:06pm]: On second thought, she’s a bit of a disaster sometimes. We should plan something for tonight. 

 

          


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Lexa entered her dorm room and froze when she spotted a vase on her desk filled with flowers. She walked further into the room and picked up the note that sat on her desk.

          

           _Thanks again for last night and just all the nice things you do for me in general. I really appreciate it even if you are an asshole about everything. - Clarke_

 

           Lexa smiled and set the card down before running her fingers over the bundle of flowers. She took note of each flower and laughed when she spotted the amaryllis. She bent down and inhaled their scent before moving them to rest on the corner of her desk where she could see them when she worked on her assignments.

           Lexa checked the time on her phone and saw that it was time for her tutoring session with Clarke. She reached over to Clarke’s desk and grabbed the blonde’s textbook before setting up on the floor. As she was doing that, the room door opened and Clarke walked in. “You’re late.”

           “By a minute,” Clarke said as she closed the door. “Not even. It’s more like fifty seconds.

           “Fifty seconds is still late,” Lexa pointed out as she looked up at the blonde. She noticed her roommate wearing her jacket and raised an eyebrow. “Nice jacket.”

           Clarke looked down and blushed. “Sorry.” She took it off and placed it on Lexa’s bed. “I was in a rush earlier and it was the closest thing to me.”

           Lexa waved her off. “Keep it. I barely wear it.”

           Clarke was shocked. “Really? Thanks.”

           “Yeah, no problem.” Lexa gestured to her desk. “I noticed the flowers on my desk.”

           “Yeah, I uh… thought you might like them.”

           “I do. Thank you,” Lexa said. “They’re really nice. I take offense to the amaryllis, though. I’m not dramatic at all.”

           Clarke laughed lightly. “Except you totally are.” She moved to sit down next to Lexa. “I’m glad you like them.”

           “It… I-,” Lexa sighed and tried again. “You put thought into it. I appreciate that.”

           Clarke smiled and nudged Lexa gently with her shoulder. “No problem.”

           Lexa gestured to the textbook that was laid out on the floor. “Let’s get to this. You have that exam on Monday and I’ll be seriously embarrassed to say that I tutored you if you just end up failing.”

           Clarke rolled her eyes. “I’ve gotten better.”

           “Barely,” Lexa retorted as she handed Clarke a pencil.

 

 

           Two and a half hours later, the roommates found themselves at Grounders. Clarke reached over the table and took one of Lexa’s fries, smiling when the brunette pushed the fries to the middle of the table like she usually did.

           “I’m going to a museum next weekend,” Lexa stated as she watched Clarke carefully. “It’s for extra credit.”

           Clarke chuckled as she picked up another fry. “Why do you need extra credit? You probably already have an A in whatever class it is. And if you’re inviting me to go with you, I would love to.”

           “History, and I do,” Lexa verified as she fiddled with her straw as it rested in her drink. “And I wasn’t inviting you, I was making conversation. If you want to go, though, I guess I could use the company… even if it’s yours.”

           Clarke shook her head as a smile played on her lips. “You can’t invite me to something like a normal person?”

           “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lexa said, simply before sipping her drink.

           Before Clarke could say anything else, the waitress walked over to ask if they were doing alright.

           “We’ll take the bill, please,” Lexa replied.

           Once the woman walked away with their plates, Clarke began to speak. “I’m paying.”

           “I can pay,” Lexa assured her.

           “But you always do,” Clarke pointed out. “I’ve got it this time.”

           “It’s fine, Clarke. I don’t mind paying.” Lexa turned her head when she saw someone approach the table out of the corner of her eye. “Lincoln,” she greeted him in surprise.

           Lincoln smiled. “Hey, Lex.”

           Lexa looked at Clarke as she gestured to Lincoln. “Clarke this is my brother, Lincoln.”

           Clarke recognized him from seeing him around campus talking to Lexa every now and then. “Hi, Lincoln. It’s nice to meet you.”

           “You too. I wasn’t aware my sister knew how to make friends,” Lincoln joked.

           “She doesn’t,” Clarke replied. “I’m her roommate. I basically had to force her to start hanging out with me.”

           Realization appeared on Lincoln face. “ _You’re_ Clarke. Lexa talks about you all the time. She-,”

           “I tell him about how annoyingly frustrating you are,” Lexa finished for him. Clarke smirked as Lincoln subtly shook his head at her so she’d know Lexa was lying.

           “So what are you doing next weekend?” Lincoln asked. “Uncle Gustus is having a barbeque and he told me to try to convince you to come. A lot of our family is going to be there. You should come. A lot of them haven’t seen you since…” Lincoln froze and Clarke watched as he seemed to deflate a bit. “Just show up, okay?” He looked at Clarke. “You can come, Clarke. Our uncle will be happy to see that Lexa knows someone other than Octavia.”

           “Clarke doesn’t want to go to some family barbeque.”

           “Clarke can speak for herself,” Clarke said to Lexa before looking at Lincoln. “I would love to go.”

           “I have plans next weekend,” Lexa said, focusing on her drink so she wouldn’t see the disappointment in her brother’s eyes.

           Lincoln sighed. “Of course you do.” The waitress walked over with the bill, setting it on the table before walking away again. Lincoln picked up black pamphlet and looked at the bill before pulling cash out of his pocket. He placed it in the pamphlet and set it down on the table. “I’ll see you later he said.” He looked to Clarke and smiled. “It was nice to finally meet you. You’re even prettier than my sister said.”

           Lexa’s eyes widened as her brother walked away from the table to join friends at a table on the other side of the diner. It was official. She wasn’t going to graduate college. Nope. She was going to go to jail for murder.

           “Your brother seems really cool,” Clarke said, snapping Lexa out of her thoughts.

           Lexa glared in the direction of where her brother was sitting. “He’s going to be really dead later.”

           Clarke chuckled. “So you think I’m pretty, huh? Was he just kidding or…”

           Lexa rolled her eyes, waving off her question. “You’re pretty. You know that. You own a mirror.” She stood up from the table.

           Clarke grinned but said nothing as she followed Lexa towards the exit. Her grin turned into a full-fledged smile when the brunette opened the door for her to walk out first. “So,” Clarke began. “Why don’t you want to go to her uncle’s barbeque?”

           “I don’t like big family events,” Lexa replied as she made her way towards her car.

           Clarke got into the passenger seat and looked over at Lexa once the brunette was inside. “It took me awhile to want to be around my family too when my father died. Anything from family gatherings to small dinners… I stopped wanting to go. Nothing felt the same without him there, you know?”

           Lexa was surprised by this new information and it warmed her heart that Clarke was confiding in her. “Yeah, I do know.” Lexa sat, unmoving as she stared down at her lap.

           Clarke waited patiently for Lexa to say something else.

           Lexa looked up at Clarke, green eyes searching blue ones. “Do you want to go somewhere with me? You can tell me more about your father there if you want.”

           Clarke smiled. “I’d like that.”

           “Cool,” Lexa said, quietly before starting the car.

 

 

           Clarke was sitting on the swing set at a quiet park while Lexa sat beside her. She had currently shared with Lexa the story of how her father died in the line of duty as a cop and was now hearing Lexa tell her how her parents died in a car accident due to a drunk driver.

           “I was thirteen,” Lexa said as she looked out at nothing in particular. “My parents were lawyers. I loved seeing how happy they became when they won a case. They were passionate about justice. Even though they’re not here anymore, I want to make them proud.”

           “They would definitely be proud,” Clarke assured her. “… and maybe they’d tell you to be a lot nicer to me.”

           Lexa laughed and Clarke smiled at the sound. “Your father would’ve been proud of you too, Clarke,” she said, sincerely. “You’re a good person. A handful… but a good person.”

           “I’m a handful? Have you met you?” Clarke asked in disbelief. She checked the time on her phone and sighed. “Come on, we should get back to the dorm.”

           Lexa stood up and began to walk with Clarke to the parking lot.

           “Hey, Lexa,” Clarke began. “You’re pretty too.”

           Lexa grinned. “You’ve mentioned that before.”

           Clarke frowned. “I have? When?”

           “When you were drunk last night.”

           Clarke’s eyes widened in horror. “What else did I say last night?”

           Lexa decided to not embarrass the blonde further with what she had said while drunk. She was sure the girl didn’t even mean some of it. “Nothing, Clarke. You went to sleep after that.”

           Clarke’s shoulders dropped in relief. As they reached the car, her phone vibrated and she saw that she had a text from Raven. “I swear Octavia and Raven go to more parties than they do classes.” Clarke looked over the hood of Lexa’s car at the brunette. “Are you up for another party tonight? I think we could both use the atmosphere. We can judge people making fools out of themselves.” Clarke could tell that Lexa was debating whether she wanted to suffer through a party so she quickly added, “You can’t leave me alone with Raven and Octavia. They’ll ditch me and then I’ll have to fend off unwanted advances by myself.”

           Lexa rolled her eyes. “You’re ridiculous. Fine, I’ll go.”

           Clarke beamed and got into the car before responding to Raven’s text message. She and Lexa had become closer today and she hoped with time, she’d finally be able to work up the courage to ask the brunette out on a date.

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

           Lexa walked through the bodies of dancing college students as she made her way back to the couch where Clarke was waiting for her. She was carrying the only non-alcoholic beverage she could find in the refrigerator, which happened to be energy drinks. When she neared the couch, she saw a lanky boy talking to Clarke as he pointed at the palm of her hand. She approached them and looked at Clarke with a slightly raised eyebrow.

           Clarke was relieved to see that Lexa had returned, she looked at the brunette hoping that her eyes were relaying her cry for help.

           “Hey.” Lexa looked at the boy who was currently saying something about fate.

           The boy’s head snapped up, finally seeing Lexa.

           “Go away,” Lexa said, simply.

           “But I-,”

           “Now,” Lexa added as she moved to sit on the other side of Clarke.

           The boy stood immediately and walked away, leaving Lexa and Clarke alone on the couch.

           “Thank you,” Clarke replied. “He insisted on reading my palm.” She noticed the energy drinks and frowned.

           Lexa smirked and handed the can over. “It’s all they had. Not even a single water bottle in sight.”

           “It’ll do. Thanks.” Clarke popped the can open and sipped it before setting it down on the coffee table. “Let me see your hand.”

           Lexa sipped her own drink before looking at Clarke. “Why?”

           “I want to read your palm.” Clarke took Lexa’s free hand and looked at her palm.

           “You meet one guy who claims to read palms and you’re an expert now?” Lexa asked, amused.

           “I know the basics. Now shut up. I’m concentrating.” Clarke ran a finger over one of the lines on Lexa’s hand. “This is called the head line if I remember correctly.”

           Lexa shivered slightly at the feeling of Clarke running her finger over her palm but tried to push down how she felt about the intimate contact.

           “Your head line is broken. That means your thoughts are inconsistent.” Clarke then trailed her finger over another line on Lexa’s hand. “This is your life line.”

           Lexa rolled her eyes. “This is stupid, Clarke.” She actually didn’t mind letting Clarke try to read her palm if it meant Clarke would continue to touch her.

           Clarke ignored Lexa’s words as she let her finger continue to repeatedly trace one of the lines on Lexa’s hand. “Your life line is straight and close to the edge of your palm.”

           Lexa sighed. “And what does that mean?”

           “You’re cautious when it comes to relationships,” Clarke answered before moving on to another line.

           “Does anywhere on my hand let me know if I’m currently rooming with a crazy person who thinks they can read palms?”

           Clarke rolled her eyes and decided to forego the palm reading. “Fine, you can have your hand back.” She released Lexa’s hand and reached for her drink. “Have you decided if you’re going to your uncle’s barbeque yet?”

           “I’m not going,” Lexa said with finality in her voice.

           Clarke ignored Lexa’s obvious dislike of the new topic of conversation. “You should go. We can go to the museum on a different day.”

           “I had my schedule planned out,” Lexa pointed out. “I’m not changing it now.”

           “Really? Going to this barbeque will not disrupt your entire life, Lexa. It might actually be good for you. I understand why you don’t want to go but you won’t be alone. Octavia’s going. I’m going. Hell, even Raven’s going to be there. Mostly for the free food, but still.” Her words earned her a small smile from Lexa and Clarke warmed at the sight. “No one can make you go but it might be something that you need to do in order to move past some things. I know it’s hard and you can talk to me about anything that’s bothering you about going. I’m here for you, Lexa. At least promise me that you’ll think about it.”

           “Yeah, okay,” Lexa nodded. “I’ll think about it. Can we stop having a heart-to-heart at a frat party, please?”

           Clarke chuckled. “Sure.” She leaned back against the couch and sipped her drink as she watched people dance.

           Lexa bit at her bottom lip, thinking about Clarke’s words. She wasn’t used to having someone in her life that cared so much about her feelings other than her brother and Octavia. “Clarke.” Clarke looked over at Lexa and the brunette swore she had never seen anyone more beautiful. She snapped out of her thoughts and ran a hand through her hair. “Um, thanks for… you know…”

           Clarke nudged the brunette’s shoulder with her own. “You don’t have to say it, Lexa. I can see it’s causing you physical pain trying to get the words out.”         Clarke set her empty energy drink on the table. “We should dance.”

           Lexa shook her head. “There’s no way.”

           Clarke rolled her eyes as she stood up. “Let yourself have fun.”

           “I’m not dancing.”

           “You gave me the energy drink. I’m too hyped up to just sit.” Clarke held out her hand to Lexa and wiggled her fingers.

           “I can’t dance.”

           “There’s not much to it.”

           “The thought of dancing surrounded by a bunch of sweaty dancing drunks isn’t appealing in the slightest.” Lexa glanced around at the others dancing in the crowded house.

           Clarke reached for Lexa’s hand and pulled her up from the couch before pulling her somewhere that would allow them to dance more freely.

 

 

           "I'm telling you, Raven," Octavia said as they moved through the party looking for their friends. "A drunk Lexa is the way to go. I've only ever seen her drunk once but it was the most revealing few hours. If we can get her drunk and lock her in a room alone with Clarke, they'll be together by the end of the week for sure."

           "A drunk Lexa does sound entertaining," Raven admitted.

           "Oh, it is. It's the perkiest you'll ever see her," Octavia assured her. "The only problem is getting her to drink."

           Raven grinned. "Something tells me Lexa never backs down from a challenge. Maybe I can get a drinking contest going. Or maybe-,”

           “Or maybe they don’t need our help.” Octavia gestured to where Clarke and Lexa were dancing. Okay so Clarke was dancing and Lexa was standing there but still – progress.

           Raven looked across the room and spotted the girls actually enjoying themselves. “Is that a smile on Lexa’s face? I didn’t even know that was something she could do. And… they’re dancing.”

           Octavia nodded in confirmation. “They’re dancing.”

           “Okay, so we’ll put the drunk Lexa idea on hold,” Raven said. “But it has to happen because it’s totally something I want to see.”

           Octavia laughed. “Definitely. It’ll be our side mission.”

 

 

           “Lexa,” Clarke said once a new song started. “You need to move more.”

           Lexa folded her arms across her chest. “I don’t dance.”

           “Yeah, so you’ve said.” Clarke unfolded Lexa’s arms and placed her hands on her hips. “Just relax.” Lexa really wanted to know how Clarke expected her to do that when she was touching her. Clarke tried to get Lexa to move to the beat of the music but it was to no avail. She laughed and playfully poked the brunette in the chest. “You’re hopeless.”

           “I told you,” Lexa said, amused at the blonde’s antics.

           Clarke beamed at the brunette. “Thanks for coming out with me tonight.”

           Lexa shrugged. “Couldn’t leave you to fend off palm readers all on your own. Besides, I always end up having a good time with you, Clarke.”

           Clarke reached for Lexa’s hand and squeezed it gently. “I feel the same way.” She was silent for a beat before taking a deep breath. “Lexa, I’ve been wondering if-,”

           “Ladies!”

           Clarke saw Monty and Jasper approaching them and sighed at the interruption. “Hey, guys.”

           “We need to run something by a future lawyer.” Monty looked at Lexa, pleadingly. “We just need like five minutes of your time.”

           Ten minutes was a long time when all Lexa wanted to do was hear what Clarke had been about to say. “Something tells me it’ll be five wasted minutes.”

           “Be nice,” Clarke chided her before looking at her friends. “Bring her back in one piece. She’s my entertainment for the night.”

           Lexa sighed and followed the boys, leaving Clarke to her own devices until she returned. Clarke watched them leave before heading back towards the couch. She needed this time to think about what she had almost done. She had been seconds away from asking Lexa out. Maybe it was the energy drink that had her feeling like that was a good idea or maybe it was the palpable energy she felt flowing between them in that moment. Either way, she needed to think about things. Before she could reach the couch, she was intercepted by a familiar face.

           _Shit._ Clarke thought as she saw her ex-boyfriend smiling at her. She looked behind her hoping to catch a glimpse of Lexa and gain her attention but the brunette was nowhere in sight.

           “Hey, Clarke,” Finn greeted her.

           “What do you want?” Clarke was already annoyed by his presence.

           “I just want to talk,” Finn said. “Please.”

           “We don’t have anything to talk about.”

           “Look, I hate how things ended between us and I just want to clear the air.”

           “What are you even doing here?” Clarke asked, still upset that they had managed to cross paths.

           “A friend invited me,” Finn answered. “I saw you and I figured this was the best chance to apologize for what I did.” A drunken frat boy walked between them and Finn rolled his eyes. “Can we please talk somewhere else?”

           “I’m not interested in anything you have to say,” Clarke stated before moving to walk past Finn.

           “Clarke.” Finn reached for Clarke’s hand but backed off when Bellamy appeared.

           “She doesn’t want to talk to you,” Bellamy said.

           Finn held up his hands in mock surrender and looked past Bellamy at Clarke. “Come find me if you want to talk.”

           Clarke was relieved when Finn walked away. “Thanks, Bellamy.”

           “Not a problem,” Bellamy said. “Who was that?”

           “Ex-boyfriend,” Clarke replied as she moved to go sit on the couch.

           Bellamy joined her and sipped his beer as he looked through the crowds of people. “Where’s Lexa?”

           “Talking to Jasper and Monty.”

           Bellamy could tell that Clarke was upset about her encounter with her ex. He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a hug. “You okay?”

           “Just wasn’t expecting to see him,” Clarke replied, embarrassed at how much seeing Finn had affected her.

           “Want me to make him leave?” Bellamy asked. “Maybe cut his hair in the process.”

           Clarke chuckled and shook her head. “It’s fine. I’m fine. Thanks again.”

           “No problem,” Bellamy said, deciding to stick around on the couch until Lexa got back.

 

 

           Lexa had been on her way back to Clarke when she saw Bellamy hug Clarke. Now she wasn’t one for jealousy but for some reason the sight had upset her. She knew they were just friends but the feeling of jealousy alone let Lexa know all that she needed to know. She had gotten too close to Clarke. She had allowed herself to feel these things that she had been trying to ignore and now she had to deal with the emotions that came with it.

           Lexa was aware that her relationship with Clarke would never surpass friendship and decided that she needed to rein in her feelings before she got hurt. Taking a deep breath, Lexa headed over to the couch and sat down on the couch, leaving a decent gap between her and Clarke.

           “Hey, Lexa,” Bellamy greeted the brunette as he stood up.

           “Hey, Bellamy. How’s it going?”

           “Just keeping the princess here company until you returned,” he said. “Catch you guys later,” he said before walking away.

           Clarke noticed that Lexa wasn’t sitting as close to her as she had been before. “Everything okay?”

           Lexa forced a smile. “Yeah, just suddenly really tired.”

           “The energy drink must be wearing off already.” Clarke checked the time. “I’ll go see if Octavia and Raven are ready to go. If not, we can go and I can come back and pick them up later. I’m feeling like being in bed watching a movie anyway. How do you feel about musicals?”

           “I just want to sleep, Clarke,” Lexa said, dejectedly.

           Clarke could tell something was wrong but she didn’t want to push. “Okay, let me just see what Octavia and Raven want to do. I’ll be right back.” Clarke left with the nagging feeling that she had done something wrong but she would wait to confront Lexa about her change in attitude tomorrow.

 

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Two days later…

           Clarke closed her textbook, tired of staring at it and turned her head to look at Lexa, who was also studying. The brunette had reverted back to her old self but instead of finding it amusing, Clarke was irritated by Lexa’s behavior. She didn’t understand what had happened between them to cause this sudden rift in their friendship. “I’m going to Grounders,” Clarke said, hoping her roommate would want to join her.

           Lexa simply grunted her response, not tearing her gaze away from her textbook. She knew she was upsetting Clarke but she wanted things to go back to how they had been before she developed non-platonic feelings for her roommate.

           Clarke rolled her eyes at the Neanderthal-like response. “Do you want to join me?”

           “I’m not hungry.”

           Clarke took a deep breath as she tried to maintain her patience with Lexa. “I’d like your company.”

           “As appealing as watching you eat sounds, Clarke, I need to study.”

           Clarke sighed and moved to sit on the edge of her bed. “What is your problem?”

           Lexa flipped to the next page in her textbook. “I wasn’t aware that I had one.”

           “You’ve been acting weird ever since the party the other night,” Clarke stated. “If I did something, I’d appreciate it if you would just tell me.”

           “You didn’t do anything,” Lexa assured her, still refusing to look at the blonde. “I’m just busy.”

           “You’re lying. Why can’t you just tell me what’s going on so that I can fix it?”

           Lexa shook her head. “You can’t fix it.”

           “So you’re admitting that there is something wrong?”

           “I’m not doing this with you, Clarke.”

           Clarke stood up from her bed and grabbed her cell phone from her desk. “We’re supposed to be friends and right now you’re being a pretty crappy one. Have fun studying.” Clarke grabbed her backpack from the floor and exited the room, closing the door firmly. Lexa closed her textbook and tossed it aside knowing that she wouldn’t be able to focus now.

 

 

 

           Lexa was on her way to the library later that day when she saw Octavia making her way towards her. She could tell by the look on her best friend’s face that the conversation they were about to have wasn’t going to be pleasant.

           “What the hell are you doing?” Octavia asked as she stopped in front of Lexa.

           “I’m going to the library,” Lexa answered, knowing that wasn’t what Octavia meant.

           “With Clarke,” Octavia clarified. “She’s really hurt. She doesn’t know what she did. Why are you so upset with her?”      

           Lexa shook her head. “I’m not having this conversation here.”

           Octavia grabbed Lexa by the hand and pulled her towards the parking lot where her car was. “Get in.”

           Lexa tossed her backpack into the backseat before reluctantly getting inside the car and looking at Octavia. “I’m not upset with Clarke.”

           “Then why does she think you are?” Octavia asked. “She said you’ve barely said anything to her in two days.”

           Lexa leaned back in her seat and looked straight ahead at the students walking by. “I need to focus on school and-,”

           “Bullshit,” Octavia cut her off. “Now the truth.”

           Lexa scratched at an invisible stain on her jeans as she thought about her next words. “At the party the other night, I saw Bellamy and Clarke together. They seemed… close.”

           Octavia smirked. You’re jealous? You’re ignoring Clarke because you think she’s into someone that’s not you?”

           Lexa rolled her eyes. “It’s stupid. I know she’s not into Bellamy but seeing them just upset me. I…,” Lexa sighed and finally admitted what Octavia had been waiting to hear. “I have massive feelings for Clarke Griffin.”

           Octavia wanted to tease Lexa or at least throw out an “I knew it” but she could tell that her friend wasn’t thrilled by the fact that she had feelings for their mutual friend. “You should ask her-,”

           “No.” Lexa looked at Octavia sternly. “I’m not asking her out and you’re not going to mention this to anyone. I don’t want to be with Clarke. I shouldn’t have let myself develop these feelings for her.”

           Octavia looked at her friend in disbelief. “Lexa, you’re talking as if you had a choice in the matter. Feelings happen.”

           “I can’t do it again, Octavia,” Lexa admitted, trying to keep the sadness from her voice. “I don’t want to set myself up to get hurt.”

           Octavia softened her voice as she reached over to place her hand on Lexa’s knee. “Clarke isn’t Costia. You can’t let her ruin this amazing thing you could have with Clarke.”

           Lexa shook her head. “I just don’t want to cross that line with her.”

           Octavia was frustrated by Lexa’s reluctance, but she understood it. She had been there when Costia shattered Lexa’s heart and had witnessed her become even more closed off than she had already been before. “Okay, we won’t talk about it anymore.”

           Lexa was relieved. “Really?”

           “Yeah, for today,” Octavia replied. “Hey, want to go get something to eat?”

           Lexa shook her head. “No, I just want to go to the library. Thanks for the talk.”

           “Anytime.”

           Lexa got out of the car and retrieved her backpack from the backseat before heading towards the library. She was only going in order to avoid Clarke as long as she possibly could. Maybe if she didn’t see the med student as often, her feelings would slowly retreat back into the depths of her heart where it wouldn’t hurt as much.

 

 

          

           Lexa was sitting in her dorm attempting to get her schoolwork done but she was becoming increasingly hurt that Clarke hadn’t returned to their dorm at any time in the past two days. She knew from Octavia that the blonde had been crashing at her and Raven’s dorm and she knew she should be grateful for the time she had away from Clarke to think about her feelings, but she missed her. She missed Clarke. What she also knew was that Clarke had a math exam that she hadn’t been able to prepare her for because her math book was currently on her desk.

           Lexa got up and grabbed Clarke’s math book from the blonde’s desk before exiting the dorm. She headed down the hallway, nerves getting the best of her when she was finally standing outside of Octavia and Raven’s room. Taking a deep breath, Lexa knocked on the door.

           Raven was the one to open the door and she fixed Lexa with a glare as she crossed her arms over her chest. “What do you want?”

           Lexa gestured into the room. “Is Clarke in there?”

           “You remember she exists now?” Raven asked, irritated by Lexa’s behavior the last few days.

           “Can I just talk to her… please?” Lexa asked.

           Clarke appeared at the door and tugged on Raven’s shirt. “It’s fine, Raven.”

           Raven glared harder at Lexa before moving to sit back down on her bed. Clarke exited the room, closing the door behind her.

           “Hi.” Lexa’s heart was thumping hard in her chest.

           Clarke remained silent as she stared at Lexa, wondering what the brunette wanted from her.

           “Um.” Lexa scratched the back of her neck. “I just thought you’d want this.” She showed Clarke the math book. “You have your exam tomorrow and I figured you should probably have this.”

           Clarke was surprised that the brunette had remembered and she almost smiled at the act of kindness but she remembered that she was upset with the other girl. “Thanks.” She took the textbook and waited to see if Lexa wanted to add anything else.

           Lexa shifted on her feet. “I could help you if you want.”

           Clarke knew this was probably Lexa’s way of apologizing and she would accept it for now, but they would need to talk about things before the day was over. “Let me grab my things. I’ll meet you back at the dorm.”

           Lexa was relieved that Clarke wasn’t giving her a hard time even though she deserved it and she hoped after tonight things would be back to normal between them.

 

 

           Lexa smiled as she checked over the work that Clarke had done. “Perfect. You’ve got it, Griffin.”

           Clarke took the paper from Lexa and set it down. “We should talk.”

           Lexa’s smile faded and she nodded, knowing this talk had to come eventually. “Clarke… I’m sorry for being a jerk.”

           “Are you going to tell me what I did?” Clarke asked, curiously.

           “It wasn’t you. You didn’t do anything.”

           “Lexa, if I’m honest with you about something, can you be honest with me about why you got upset at the party?”

           Lexa bit at her bottom lip as she thought about her answer. “I don’t want to talk about the party, Clarke.”

           Clarke rolled her eyes and stood up. “You know where to find me when you’re actually ready to talk.”

           Lexa frowned as she watched Clarke head for the door. “Seriously, you’re just leaving? Clarke, I’m trying here.” Lexa stood up to face the blonde. “I apologized for how I was acting. I just want things to go back to how they were.”  

           Clarke shook her head. “They can’t. Look, I’m just going to go back to Raven and Octavia’s, okay?”

           Lexa was pretty sure she felt her heart drop down to her stomach. She had messed things up with Clarke and now she would spend the rest of the school year being miserable about it. “Fine, if you don’t want to be around me, maybe we can switch roommates or something.”

           Something inside Clarke snapped and before she could stop herself, she was yelling at Lexa. “It’s not that I don’t want to be around you, you idiot! I like you! I have feelings for you! I’ve dropped hints. So many damn hints, Lexa. I bought you flowers! I don’t want things to go back to how they were because I don’t want to go back to pretending that I’m not totally into you.”

           Lexa’s eyes were wide as she stared at Clarke with her mouth agape.

           Clarke let out a breath and sat down on the edge of her bed. She wouldn’t run from this. She had wanted to tell Lexa how she felt for the longest time and now she had.

           “Oh,” Lexa managed to finally say as she remained standing in shock at Clarke’s declaration.

           Clarke looked at Lexa in disbelief. “Oh? I just spilled my feelings out and all you manage to say is oh?”

           “Well, the girl I like just admitted that she likes me back so sorry if I need a moment to process,” Lexa retorted.

           Clarke shook her head. “You’re truly ridiculous. I can’t even confess to liking you without you being a smart ass.” Clarke froze, realizing what Lexa had just said. “Did you just say you have a crush on me?”  

           “No, I said that I like you,” Lexa corrected. “Crushes are something tweens do. We’re both adults here.”

           Clarke quirked an eyebrow. “Says the girl who spent two days basically ignoring me.”

           Lexa moved to sit down beside Clarke. “Touché.”

           Things were silent as the two tried to think about what to do next. Lexa had decided that the ball was in Clarke’s court and she would make her move depending on what the blonde did next.

           “So… we like each other,” Clarke said, still surprised that her feelings were reciprocated.

           “It seems so,” Lexa replied, equally as surprised. “A lot of hints, huh?”

           Clarke nodded. “You’re pretty dense when it comes to someone liking you.”

           Lexa smiled as she glanced over at Clarke. “Apparently. I really am sorry about how I acted. I shouldn’t have shut you out.”

           Clarke was still curious about what had made Lexa upset. “Why did you?”

           Lexa figured if they were putting everything out there, she would just tell Clarke what she wanted to know. “I saw you and Bellamy together and I might’ve gotten jealous. It was stupid. I know there’s nothing between you two. I just… I don’t know. My feelings for you scare me and I decided running from them was the best way to protect myself.”

           “Protect yourself from what?”

           “Getting hurt,” Lexa confessed. “Clarke, I’m not good with relationships; platonic or otherwise. My last girlfriend broke-up with me because she said I was too emotionally detached. She said I wasn’t enough. I like you, but I don’t know if I’m capable of maintaining a romantic relationship. I don’t know if I can change how I am.”

           Clarke could hear the pain in Lexa’s voice and it broke her heart. She reached over, placing her hand on top of the brunette’s. “I don’t want you to change, Lexa. I’m pretty enamored by you as you are. We don’t have to rush into this. We can take things slow. It’s whatever you want.”

           Lexa turned her hand under Clarke’s so that she could clasp their fingers together. “I want to give us a fair shot.”

           Clarke smiled. “Okay, then it’s settled. We’re doing this.”

           Lexa returned the smile, feeling ecstatic about this unexpected change in her and Clarke’s relationship. The brunette stood up, tugging on Clarke’s hand as she did so. “You owe me a guitar lesson.”

           Clarke laughed lightly. “I guess I do,” she said as she moved to retrieve her guitar.

            

          

            

          


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

           Raven frowned as she sat in a café with Clarke before their next class. “What do you mean you’re not together? You just said that you two have decided to date.”

           “Yeah, _date_ ,” Clarke emphasized. “We’re not official. It’s best for the both of us if we take things slow.”

           Raven rolled her eyes. “You _have_ been taking things slow. The last two and a half months have been filled with sexual tension. Just jump each other already.”

           “I like the idea of not rushing into anything,” Clarke stated. “It takes the pressure off.”

           Raven shook her head. “That’s ridiculous because-,”

 

 

           “-from where I’m standing, you need some good pressure,” Octavia stated. “Some Clarke-related pressure right on-,”

           “Please stop talking,” Lexa blushed as she walked with Octavia to a nearby on-campus café so they could both get their dose of coffee.

           Octavia smirked at how easily embarrassed Lexa was. “I’m just saying that you’re wound tight all the time. Some special alone time with Clarke will help you relax.”

           “Like I said,” Lexa began. “We’re taking things slow. It’s what we’ve decided is best for us.”

           Octavia rolled her eyes. “That’s good for you, but what’s best for your friends that have to be near you two is that you-,”

 

 

 

           “-just get laid,” Raven said. “Octavia and I put a lot of effort into getting you two together so-,”

           “Wait.” Clarke looked at Raven suspiciously. “What do you mean you put effort into getting us together?”

           “Well,” Raven began, “we’ve been trying to make sure you two spend a lot of time together so you’d realize your feelings. You pretty much owe us for helping you get to where you are now.”

           Clarke laughed at her friend in disbelief. “Are you actually-,”

 

 

           “-taking credit for our relationship?” Lexa asked.

           Octavia shrugged. “Your relationship is the product of our awesomeness so… yeah, taking all the credit. You two would still be staring longingly at each other if we didn’t intervene.”

           Lexa scoffed. “I don’t stare longingly.”

           “When Clarke’s near you, you pretty much turn into a huge sap.” The two reached the café and upon entering, they saw that Raven and Clarke were there. “Your girlfriend’s here,” Octavia teased.

           Lexa rolled her eyes. “She’s not my girlfriend… yet.”

           Octavia linked her arm with Lexa’s and headed over to the table. “Hey, you two.”

           Clarke turned her head, smiling when she saw Lexa. They hadn’t seen each other that morning since Lexa had already been gone when Clarke woke up. Lexa returned the smile and the two silently stared at each other as their friends spoke.

           Raven looked between the two girls and shook her head in amusement. “You two are sickeningly cute.” She got up from her chair and walked off with Octavia so the two could have their privacy.

           Lexa sat down where Raven had been. “Did you know our friends were plotting to get us together?”

           Clarke chuckled. “I was just informed of it, actually. Those two are trouble, but they mean well. So um, it’s almost Saturday. Have you decided about if you want to go to your uncle’s?”

           “I haven’t really thought about it,” Lexa admitted.

           Clarke really wanted to meet Lexa’s family. She was curious to see who Lexa had grown up around and if the brunette was as closed off with them as she was everyone else.

           Lexa could see the disappointment in Clarke from her slumped shoulders and pouty lips. Rolling her eyes, she let out a sigh. “I guess if you really want to meet my family for whatever weird reason, we can go.”

           Clarke smiled, perking up immediately. “Really?”

           Lexa nodded. “Yeah, I won’t mind the free food.”

           “It’ll be fun. And it’s not weird that I want to go.”

           “It is. No one is ever excited to meet their significant other’s family.” Lexa’s words replayed in her head and she blushed. “Not that you’re a significant other,” she added quickly.

           Clarke quirked a brow, feigning offense.

           “I mean, you might be one day. I’m just trying to say-,”

           “Lexa, breathe.” Clarke laughed at Lexa’s awkwardness. “I know what you were trying to say. I guess it is a bit weird. I just want to see you in your element.”

           Octavia and Raven returned to the table and Octavia set a cup of coffee down in front of Lexa. “Have you two kissed yet?”  

           “Octavia,” Lexa chided her, sheepishly.

           “What? We’re curious.” Octavia looked from Lexa to Clarke, waiting for an answer.

           “No,” Clarke replied, “but when it happens, we’ll make sure to text you immediately,” she joked.

           “Please do,” Raven replied. “We have a bet going so we’re going to need some pretty specific details. Anyway, we’ll catch you two later.”

           As the two roommates walked out of the café, Octavia let out a heavy sigh. “They still need all the help they can get.”

           “Definitely,” Raven agreed.

 

 

           After an hour drive, Lexa pulled up to the gate that led to her uncle’s house. She rolled down her window and leaned out of the car in order to type in the passcode so the gate would open. Clarke watched with wide eyes as the gates parted. Lexa hadn’t mentioned that her uncle lived in a mansion. She now realized why Lexa was always fine paying for things.

           Lexa parked her car while Octavia pulled in beside her. She glanced over at Clarke and smirked at the shocked expression on the blonde’s face. “You okay there?”

           Clarke looked down at the shorts and t-shirt that she was wearing with her converse. “I’m so underdressed.”

           Lexa rested her sunglasses on the top of her head as she looked at the girl. “You look great. Please don’t think you have to act a certain way. And remember what I said-,”

           “I know, I know,” Clarke sighed. “They’re intense at first. Don’t take offense.”

           Lexa exited the car and was immediately met with an excited Raven.

           “Woods!” Raven exclaimed. “You never mentioned that you were loaded. This place looks so cool.”

           “And here comes the best part of this barbeque,” Octavia said, dreamily, as she saw Lincoln exiting the house. “Sexiness at its finest.”

           Lexa made a face at her friend’s comment. “Please refrain from making me gag.”

           “Now this is a nice surprise.” Lincoln hugged Lexa before moving to give Octavia a hug as well. “Nice seeing you again, Clarke.”

           Clarke smiled. “You too, Lincoln.” She gestured to Raven. “This is my best friend, Raven.”

           Lincoln shook Raven’s hand and nodded towards the house. “Hope you four came hungry.”

           They made their way into the house and Clarke took in everything as they walked through the house towards the backyard. When they reached the backyard, they saw a lot of kids running around, teens joking around and the grownups watching on. Everyone was engaged in some type of activity. If this had been her family, most would’ve been glued to whatever device they had.

           Octavia and Raven headed to the vacant lawn chairs with Lincoln while Lexa headed over to her uncle with Clarke by her side.

           “You can hang over there with Octavia and Raven if you want,” Lexa said.

           Clarke shook her head as she linked her fingers with Lexa’s. “I’m good right here.” She knew Lexa was still nervous about being here and she wanted to give as much support as she could. “Is this okay?” she asked, referring to their hands. She didn’t want to do anything that would make Lexa uncomfortable in front of her family.

           Lexa squeezed Clarke’s hand gently, smiling at the blonde as she continued on towards her uncle. When they reached the man, who was standing at the grill, Lexa cleared her throat.

           Gustus turned his head and smiled widely at seeing his niece. He handed his spatula to another relative and went to hug her tightly. “It is good to see you, Lexa.” He pulled away but placed his hands on her shoulders as he spoke. “How have you been?”

           “I’ve been okay,” Lexa assured him.

           Gustus smiled, patting Lexa on the shoulder. “Good.” He dropped his arms down to his sides and looked at Clarke. “And who is your friend?”

           “This is my roommate,” Lexa replied. “Clarke.”

           “Hi, sir. It’s nice to meet you.” Clarke held out her hand.

           Gustus looked down at Clarke’s other hand, which was holding Lexa’s before returning his gaze to the girl. “Roommate?” He asked as he finally shook her hand.

           “That’s correct,” Clarke replied.

           “And what is it that you are going to school for, Clarke?”

           “I’m studying to be a doctor,” Clarke answered, hoping her nerves weren’t showing. She was pleased that Lexa’s uncle at least looked impressed by her answer.

           Lexa knew what her uncle was thinking and wanted to correct him but she didn’t want to make a big deal out of him assuming Clarke was her girlfriend.

           “Studying to be a doctor doesn’t leave you a lot of free time for yourself… or others, does it?” Gustus asked.

           “My workload is fine right now and when it gets more extensive, I’ll be sure to make time for the important things,” Clarke answered. “You know, like recreational drug use and heavy drinking.”

           Lexa’s eyes widened and she watched as her uncle stared silently at Clarke. She didn’t realize she was holding her breath until her uncle let out a boisterous laugh. “How are you with a spatula, Clarke?”

           “I think I can manage,” Clarke answered, relieved that her joke hadn’t failed.

           “Come, let us talk.”

           “I don’t think Clarke wants to flip burgers, Uncle,” Lexa said as Clarke released her hand.

           Gustus waved her off. “It’ll give me a chance to get to know her.”

           Lexa knew the man wanted to basically interrogate the blonde and she didn’t want to leave Clarke to his questions.

           “It’s fine, Lexa,” Clarke assured her. “I’ll come find you in a bit.”

           Lexa didn’t have time to respond before she felt someone ruffling her hair. She turned to glare at whoever it was but smiled instead when she saw her cousin, Anya.

           “Glad someone’s decided to come out of hiding.” Anya hugged the younger girl. “What the hell have you been up to?”

           “Just school,” Lexa replied. “Nothing exciting.”

           Anya’s gaze fell on Clarke and she smirked as she looked back at Lexa. “She looks pretty exciting. Are you going to introduce me to your girlfriend?”

           “She’s actually-,”

           “Lexa!” Another girl approached them and hugged the brunette. “We have so much to catch up on.”

           Lexa allowed herself to be tugged away from Clarke, glad that the blonde wouldn’t hear anything her cousins had to say.

           “Who was that girl with Uncle Gustus?” Echo asked as they headed to an empty part of the lawn to sit.

           Anya grinned. “Lexa’s new girlfriend.”

           Lexa opened her mouth with the intention of correcting Anya but instead she just warned Anya not to mess with Clarke. “She’s really sweet. Don’t torment her like you did when I brought Costia to one of these things.”

           Anya rolled her eyes at hearing Costia’s name. “I didn’t torment her. I let her know that she shouldn’t ever hurt you, which she did. If I ever see her again-,”

           “You’ll do nothing,” Lexa said. “I don’t want to talk about Costia.”

           Echo glanced over to where Gustus and Clarke were cooking on the grill. The man was currently laughing at something the blonde had said. “She’s already won Uncle Gustus over. That’s not an easy thing to do.”

           “She hasn’t met Indra yet,” Anya pointed out. “That’ll be interesting.”

           Lexa’s eyes widened as she scanned the area for her aunt. She didn’t see the woman but she would have to do her best to keep her from interacting with Clarke.

          

 

           Clarke was walking through the house, trying to locate a bathroom but that was proving to be difficult. Lexa had offered to accompany her but she didn’t want to pull Lexa away from the game she had been playing with the kids. As she walked around the house, her search for a bathroom grew half-assed as she became more interested in the pictures that hung on the walls. She laughed as she saw a photo of a younger Lexa with mud on her face as she glared at an amused Anya, who was holding a clump of mud in her hand.  

           Clarke was startled when she heard a voice behind her. “Those two always get into trouble when they’re together.”

           Clarke turned around and smiled politely at the woman she had met earlier. “Sorry, Indra. I was looking for a bathroom but saw all the pictures on the wall. Lexa looks happy in a lot of them.” She turned back to look at one picture in particular. Lexa was smiling brightly as she stood next to her brother and two people who she assumed were her parents. “It’s nice to see.”

           “Emily and Jason were amazing parents,” Indra stated. “They were very protective. We all are.”

           Clarke could hear the warning in Indra’s words. “Understood.”

           “Good.” The woman gestured down the hall. “Last door on the right.”

           “Thanks,” Clarke said before making her way down the hall. Once inside the bathroom, she let out a breath. Indra was much harder to win over than Gustus.

 

 

           Lexa’s eyes fell on the glass doors that led into the house and Anya rolled her eyes. “She went to the bathroom not to go fight a war. Relax.”

           “Shut up,” Lexa muttered as she forced herself to look away from the door. “I wasn’t looking for Clarke.”

           “If you say so, Commander Heart Eyes.” Lexa playfully slapped Anya on her thigh and Anya gently shoved the brunette in response.

           Gustus shook his head as he watched his nieces bolt up from their chairs so that they could chase each other around the yard. Clarke walked back outside and moved to stand beside the man so she could watch as well. She smiled as she heard Lexa laugh and joined in when Anya pushed the brunette into the pool.

           “Never a dull moment,” Gustus said, happily. He looked at Clarke and smiled. “Octavia says you talked Lexa into coming. Thank you.”

           Clarke shook her head. “I didn’t talk her into anything. She wanted to come. She was just afraid being around everyone would hurt too much, but I think it’s helping her heal.”

            Gustus nodded in agreement. “I think so too.”

          

 

           It was nighttime now and Clarke was lying on a blanket with Lexa beside her as they stared up at the stars. They were the only ones out there and it had already been decided that they were going to spend the night. Raven had been excited about that and was currently getting a tour of the house.

           “Thanks for coming with me,” Lexa said. “I’m sorry my uncle pried so much.”

           “He was fine,” Clarke said.

           “And I know my aunt was intimidating. It’s what she does. She means well. And don’t get me started on Anya. I hope her teasing you about us wasn’t too annoying.”

           “Lexa,” Clarke laughed. “Relax. Your family was great. I like them.”

           Lexa smiled. “I’m glad.” The brunette reached down, placing her hand near Clarke’s. Clarke took the cue, linking their fingers together. “Do you know what you’ll be doing for the holidays?”

           “Yeah, we’ll be going home and doing the family bonding thing.”  

           “We?” Lexa asked, curiously. Clarke had never told her about having a sibling.

           “Raven lives with me,” Clarke explained. “Has ever since she was sixteen. Her parents were shitty and when they wanted to move, my mom was fine with letting her stay with us.”

           “Her parents didn’t care?” Lexa asked, surprised.

           “Like I said, shitty parents,” Clarke said. “So what are you doing for the holidays?”

           “I’ll be here,” Lexa replied. “I’ll be helping out at my family’s law office.”

           Clarke smiled. “You would be working. I guess I’ll have to visit you so you don’t forget about me.”

           “There goes my hope of getting some peace and quiet,” Lexa joked.

           “Hey!” Clarke exclaimed as she pulled her hand away from Lexa’s. Lexa caught her hand and laced their fingers together once more. “I hope you know I’m not visiting you now.”

           “Then I’ll come see you,” Lexa stated.

           The two continued to stare up at the stars until Clarke broke the silence. “What are you doing tomorrow?”

           “I need to study for exams,” Lexa answered.

           “When will you be free?”

           “Not sure. I also have a paper to write.”

           “Okay, how about around four?”

           “Um…” Lexa thought about her workload. “Maybe.”

           Clarke rolled her eyes but a smile tugged at her lips. “Lexa, I’m trying to ask you out on a date. Stop making things difficult.”

           Lexa tensed slightly. It’s not that she didn’t want to go on a date. She definitely wanted to take Clarke out, but this was too last minute. She would need at least a few days to plan something worthy of Clarke. Dinner and a movie just wouldn’t cut it. Not for a first date.

           Clarke looked beside her at the brunette and could tell that Lexa was already stressing herself out. “I’m asking you out so I’ll plan the date. All you have to do is be available for me to take you on one. Think you can manage that?”

           Lexa laughed lightly. “Yeah, I think I can manage that, Clarke.”

 

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

           Lexa was currently in Octavia’s room as she got ready for her date with Clarke. She had taken three outfits from her room and was now letting her friend help her choose what to wear, but Octavia wasn’t exactly helpful.

           “The other top shows more cleavage,” Octavia stated as Lexa went for a tank top and a plaid t-shirt. “I still think you should borrow one of my dresses.”

           “Clarke said casual and comfortable,” Lexa looked at herself in the mirror, running a hand through her hair.

           “Well I’m saying sexy and accessible.” Octavia went into her closet and pulled out a sundress. “Imagine the things she could do to you while you wear this dress.”

           “Get your mind out of the gutter, Blake,” Lexa said.

           Octavia rolled her eyes as she put the dress back. “Where are you two going anyway?”

           Lexa shrugged. “She wouldn’t tell me.”

           Octavia sighed. “She won’t tell me or Raven either. Hey, I actually wanted to talk to you about something. This is probably shitty timing but I figured I should ask you soon.”

           “What’s up?”

           Octavia fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. “Your brother might’ve asked me out.” Lexa simply stared at her best friend and Octavia became nervous. “I didn’t say yes. I told him I’d have to ask you first and if you say no, then I won’t pursue anything.”

           “Seriously, Octavia? Do you really think that I’d stop you from dating Lincoln? Tell him yes.”

           Octavia squealed excitedly before lunging forward to hug Lexa. “I already have the perfect idea for a double date. And once Raven stops pretending she’s not into this guy, Wick, then triple dates will totally happen.”

           Lexa shook her head. “Not happening, but your enthusiasm is noted.”

           The door opened and Raven walked into the room. She took one look at Lexa’s plaid shirt and shook her head. “You need to change.”

           Lexa frowned and looked down at her clothes. “What’s wrong with this?”

           “Lose the button-up. Too many layers.”

           Octavia chuckled. “I tried to tell her to wear something accessible.”

           “It’s cold out,” Lexa stated. “Layers are important.”

           “Just lose the plaid, Lexa,” Octavia said.      

           Lexa decided to not argue with the two. She pulled off the plaid shirt and tossed it onto the bed.

           Raven nodded, approvingly. “Perfect. Clarke’s waiting for you.”

           “Remember we want first kiss details,” Octavia added as Lexa left the room. Once her friend was gone, she looked at Raven. “How’s Clarke?”

           “Nervous.” Raven sat down on the edge of her bed, “but they’ll be fine in all their awkward glory.”

          

 

 

           Lexa knocked on her room door and seconds later Clarke opened it, smiling widely. The blonde was wearing jeans and a blue henley top along with the jacket that Lexa had given her.

           Lexa gestured to her top. “Our friends insisted that I lose my layers. Can I just grab a hoodie before we go?”

           Clarke chuckled and stepped aside to let Lexa into their room. “They’re excited for this date.”

           “They really are.” Lexa grabbed a gray hoodie from her closet. “Hopefully we don’t disappoint them.”

           “I think they’ll be good as long as they get first kiss details,” Clarke stated. “So you better play your cards right, Woods.”

           “I’ll definitely try,” Lexa promised as they exited the room together. “So are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

           “You’ll find out soon enough,” Clarke assured her.

 

 

           Clarke pulled up to the roller skating rink and looked at Lexa as she nibbled at the bottom of her lip, worried that Lexa might completely hate this idea. “This is it.”

           “I’ve never rollerbladed before,” Lexa stated. “The idea of constantly falling was never appealing but if you’re catching me before I hit the ground, then I think I can manage.”

           The two got out of the car and headed into the building. While getting the rollerblades, Clarke had to stop Lexa from paying.

           “We can split the cost at least,” Lexa said, cash still in her hand.

           “Put that away. Your money is no good today.” Clarke paid the cashier and waited for him to retrieve the rollerblades in their sizes.

           “You know what’s also not appealing?” Lexa said. “Putting my feet in something hundreds of other people have worn.”

           Clarke rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. “Shut up and enjoy yourself, Lexa.”

           Lexa grinned. “Are you this nice to all your first dates or am I just special?”

           Clarke took the rollerblades that were handed to her and she glared at Lexa. “You’re a pain in the ass.”

           “A pain in the ass that you asked out on a date,” Lexa pointed out as she followed Clarke to a bench.

           “I’m rethinking this date as we speak.”

           When they’re rollerblades were on, Clarke stood and waited for Lexa to get up as well but the brunette didn’t look like she was willing to do that. “Need help?”

           Lexa scoffed. “I can stand on my own, Clarke.” Lexa took a deep breath and slowly moved to get up. Once standing, she gave Clarke an “I told you so” look.

           “Okay, big shot,” Clarke grinned as she moved into the rink. “Let’s go.”

           Lexa rolled her eyes. “Okay, jerk. I might need help with that part.”

           Clarke moved to the opening of the rink and held her hand out for Lexa. The brunette took it and slowly moved forward. Once inside the rink, Lexa let out a breath.

           “This whole thing is stressful already. I just want you to know that.”

           Clarke laughed. “Don’t think so hard about it.”

           Lexa looked at the other people rolling by without a problem. “What if I get in the way?”

           Clarke moved behind Lexa, placing her hands on the brunette’s waist. “Don’t worry about anyone else. I’ve got you. Do you trust me?”

           Lexa turned her head to catch Clarke’s gaze. “Yes… though my sanity has been questioned on occasion.”

           Clarke belted out a laugh. “I hope you know that I can’t stand you.”

          

 

 

           An hour later, Lexa was far more confident and told Clarke she didn’t require her help anymore but the blonde kept her hand on Lexa’s lower back anyway.

           “I think this whole date was a ploy for you to feel me up,” Lexa said as they circled the rink.

           Clarke moved her hand from Lexa’s lower back, thinking that maybe she had been too touchy feel. “That was just a bonus,” she joked.  

           Lexa missed Clarke’s touch and moved her hand so that it brushed against Clarke’s. Clarke smiled at the familiar action and laced their fingers together. “So is rollerblading a passion? Should I expect to see you drop out of college for roller derby? I think Sky Princess would be a fitting name.”

           Clarke frowned. “Sky Princess?”

           Lexa nodded. “Because you’re a glimpse of bliss, a little taste of heaven. You’re pretty much a miracle, Clarke Griffin.”

           Clarke’s heart stuttered in her chest. Such sweet words had never been uttered to her before and she wasn’t exactly sure how to react.

           Lexa made a face at what she had just said. “Please don’t ever tell anyone I said that.”

           “Damn,” Clarke sighed. “I was ready to write a book about it and everything. I even had a working title. The not so heartless Lexa Woods.”

           Lexa pretended to contemplate it. “Sounds like a best seller because of the subject alone.”

           Clarke shook her head. “You’re full of yourself. And thank you… what you said was sweet.”

           “It’s how I feel,” Lexa said. “You’ve become one of my best friends, Clarke. You get me on a different level. But don’t be too impressed. They’re lyrics from a song.”

           “I hate you,” Clarke stated with a chuckle. “Are you ready for dinner?”

           “What were you thinking?” Lexa asked as they made their way out of the rink.

           “I was thinking we could go to Jaha.” Clarke knew that restaurant was pricey, but a small part of her wanted to impress Lexa after seeing how the brunette had grown up.

           “Dressed like this?” Lexa said, teasingly. “I know your friend’s dad owns the place but I doubt they’d let us in.”

           “You make a good point.”

           Lexa winked. “That’s why I’m the future lawyer here.”  

           Clarke rolled her eyes as she moved to sit on the bench so that she could remove the rollerblades. “How about we go back to the dorms, change and then go to Jaha?”

           “Clarke, Jaha is out of a college student’s budget,” Lexa said, seriously. “We don’t have to go there.”

           Clarke fiddled with the watch around her wrist as she looked at Lexa. “I can afford to take you there, Lexa.”

           “And then what? Spend the next few weeks surviving off of ramen? Let’s just go to Grounders. We both like it there.”

           “We always go there,” Clarke frowned. “I wanted to take you somewhere new.”

           Lexa smiled, touched by the sentiment. “We’ll order something different. Problem solved.”

           “I’m being serious, Lexa,” Clarke sighed.

           “So am I, Clarke. I don’t need fancy. I just want to be with you.”

           Clarke smiled. “I think you just gave me a sequel to that book.”

           Lexa laughed. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

 

 

           “So how is this going to work?” Clarke asked as they neared their dorm room. She could feel the nerves at work in her stomach and hoped her palm that Lexa was holding wasn’t too sweaty as a result. “It’s not like you’re dropping me off at my place and leaving so a first kiss outside the dorm would be silly, right? We should just go inside and see what happens. I mean, a first kiss isn’t really necess-,” Clarke was startled into silence when Lexa placed her hand behind her neck and leaned in for a kiss.

           At the feeling of Lexa’s lips against hers, any thought that wasn’t related to the brunette was swept from Clarke’s mind as she lost herself in the kiss. It was gentle and cautious yet passionate. Clarke felt Lexa’s thumb glide gently across her jawline as she pulled away to catch her breath.

           “Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much?”

           Clarke laughed lightly. “You… on many occasions.” Clarke’s eyes drifted back down to Lexa’s lips but the brunette pulled away with a smirk.

           “You go ahead inside,” Lexa said. “I’ll be back later.”

           Clarke frowned in confusion. “Where are you going?”

           Lexa grinned. “I’m a pretty amazing kisser. You might need time alone to process my amazingness.”

           “You’re ri-,” Clarke was cut off again when Lexa pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “Have fun with Octavia and Raven.”

           Clarke’s eyes widened. “Don’t leave me alone with those two vultures.”

           “You’ll be fine,” Lexa assured the blonde as she backed away from her. “I’ll see you later,” she said before turning to leave through the doors that led to the staircase.

           Clarke heard a door open and Raven’s head peaked out. “I knew I heard you!” Raven exited the dorm. “How was it?”

           Octavia walked out into the hall next. “Please tell me there was a first kiss?” Octavia frowned when she noticed Lexa wasn’t with Clarke. “Where’s Lexa?”

 

 

 

           “She’s amazing, Lincoln.” Lexa was currently at her brother’s off-campus apartment lying on the couch as she told him about her date. “She terrifies me but she’s still so great.”

           Lincoln laughed from the couch across from her. “Why does she terrify you?”

           “She has the potential to devastate my heart and I don’t know if it can handle any more heartbreak.”

           Lincoln nodded in understanding. “But she’s great.”

           Lexa smiled. “She is.”

           “And she treats you right?”

           “She does.”

           “I think maybe you don’t need to be so terrified.”

           Lexa thought of her time with Clarke over the last two months. “Maybe not.”

          

          


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

           “What do you mean you’ve only kissed twice?” Raven asked in disbelief. “You’ve been together for a week and you two live together. You should be making-out every other hour.”

           Clarke folded a t-shirt and placed it into her suitcase. “Again, we’re taking things slow. Besides, we were pretty busy studying for finals.”

           “Only you would date someone you’re rooming with and not take full advantage of the situation. I’d have the beds pushed together by now and the only thing I’d be studying wouldn’t require a textbook.”

           Clarke tossed a shirt at Raven’s face. “We have our hormones under control.”

           Raven pulled the shirt from her face and threw it back at Clarke. “Boring. Anyway, are you two going to see each other during the break?”

           “Yeah, we’ve already talked about it,” Clarke said, happily. “And all my mom needs to know is that she’s a good friend.”

           Raven nodded. “Good friend. Got it.”

           The door opened and Lexa stepped, balancing a basket of laundry on one hip while she held a coffee in the other. “Hey, Raven,” she greeted the brunette.

           “Hey, Woods,” Raven greeted her as the brunette set her laundry basket on her bed and her coffee on her desk.

           “I would leave to give you two privacy but it’s not like you’d put it to good use.” Raven shook her head. “You’re letting your queerness go to waste.”

           “Bye, Raven.” Clarke reached towards her bed to pull the brunette up. “Go finish packing.”

           Raven’s shoulders slumped. “I hate packing.”

           “I did half of the work for you already. Just make sure I didn’t forget anything.” Clarke shook her head as her best friend exited the room.

           Lexa quirked a brow at the blonde. “Letting our queerness go to waste?”

           Clarke sighed. “Yeah, she thinks since we’re lucky enough to be rooming together, we should be making-out all the time.”

           Lexa chuckled. “I don’t know if Octavia’s a bad influence on Raven or the other way around.”

           “They’re both bad influences on each other,” Clarke said. “They shouldn’t be allowed to spend so much time together. Anyway, are you up for a date tonight before we leave in the morning?”

           “Sure,” Lexa replied. “Did you want to go anywhere specific?”

           Clarke shook her head. “I was hoping we could stay in and binge-watch whatever looks good on Netflix.”

           “We can do that,” Lexa replied as she retrieved her duffle bag. “Did you have a time in mind?”

           “As soon as we’re done packing,” Clarke said. “I just kind of want to spend the whole day with you.”

           Lexa smiled as she folded a shirt. “You won’t get any complaints here.”

           “Didn’t think so,” Clarke said, jokingly. “You like being around me.” She reached for Lexa’s coffee and sipped it. She was surprised by the taste of it and looked at the brunette with a smirk.

           “Sure, Clarke. You can have a sip of my coffee,” Lexa said in mock irritation.

           “This isn’t what you usually get,” Clarke stated as she set the cup down. “It’s what _I_ usually order.”

           Lexa rolled her eyes. The past couple of days, Clarke had taken to drinking her coffee and then complaining that it was too strong every time. “I figured if I just drank what you like, then I wouldn’t have to listen to you whine that my coffee is gross when you taste it.”

           Clarke’s smile widened. “You changed your coffee order for me. That’s so sweet, Lexa.”

           “No, I did it for my sanity,” Lexa corrected.

           “You don’t have to drink what I like,” Clarke said, seriously. “I’m fine with your gross stuff.”

           Lexa chuckled as she placed a shirt in her suitcase. “Or you could just not take my coffee. It’s fine, though. I actually like the taste.”

           Clarke sipped the coffee again before setting it back on Lexa’s desk. “If you say so.”

           Clarke moved to her laptop in order to play music while she and Lexa packed in comfortable silence.

 

 

           Lexa was sitting on Clarke’s bed with the back of her head resting against the wall as she stared at the laptop resting on Clarke’s lap. They were currently watching something Lexa had no interest in. She wasn’t big on TV shows, but being next to Clarke was more than enough reason to make her not complain. She turned her gaze to the blonde and watched her as she watched the show with great interest. Lexa smiled as Clarke chuckled at the screen.

           Clarke could feel Lexa staring at her and turned her head away from her laptop in order to look at her. “You’re not paying attention,” she said, quietly.

           “Sorry,” Lexa said, but didn’t tear her eyes away from Clarke’s.

           Clarke’s eyes fell to Lexa’s lips before she looked back into the brunette’s intense green eyes. “Do you want to make-out?”

           Lexa laughed, causing Clarke to frown. “Really, Clarke? You just ruined it.”

           Clarke quirked a brow. “Ruined what?”

           “Our moment,” Lexa replied. “You didn’t have to ask to kiss me.”

           “Well, we’re taking things slow,” Clarke stated. “I didn’t want to assume that I could just shove my tongue in your mouth. I was being polite.”

           “Guess I can’t fault you for being a gentlewoman,” Lexa joked as she moved to stop the show that was now background noise. She closed Clarke’s laptop and set it on desk before looking at the blonde. They had only shared the two kisses outside of the dorm after their first date so this would all be new territory. “So… how do you want to do this?”        

           Clarke shook her head with a light laugh. “Raven is right. We’re totally awkward. I think we-,” Clarke’s eyes fluttered shut as Lexa’s lips pressed into her own. She placed her hand on the side of Lexa’s face and parted her lips slightly as Lexa’s tongue glided along the bottom of them. She felt a rush of excitement as their tongues touched and she moaned lightly into the kiss.

           Lexa placed her hand on Clarke’s hip as the kiss intensified and Clarke moved so that she was straddling Lexa’s thighs.

           “Is this okay?” Clarke asked about her current position.

           Lexa nodded as she placed her hand behind Clarke’s neck to bring her in for another kiss. Lexa’s hand tightened at Clarke’s side as she fought to keep it from roaming the blonde’s body. She didn’t want to be disrespectful.

           Clarke pulled away from the kiss to look at Lexa in disbelief. “We’re making-out and I can feel you thinking too hard.”

           Lexa licked her lips. “Sorry,” she pulled Clarke back in for a kiss but Clarke pulled away.

           “Tell me,” Clarke ordered, placing her hands on Lexa’s shoulders. “Do you want to stop?”

           “No!” Lexa rushed out, but then blushed at her eager response. “I don’t want to stop. I just… I don’t exactly know what to do with my hands. I mean, I know what I want to do with them, but it’s definitely too early to be going in for a boob grab.”

           Clarke chuckled. “Your hands are fine where they are,” she assured the brunette. “Just kiss me and stop thinking.” Clarke kissed Lexa again and the two lost themselves in their make-out session for a good while.

 

 

           Lexa shoved her hands into her pockets as she stood beside Clarke’s car. They were going to be heading home but they were both reluctant to get into their cars.

           “I’ll text you when I get home.” Clarke’s arms were behind her back and Lexa had yet to see what was behind it. “Drive safely.”

           “You too,” Lexa said. “I’ll see you in two weeks. You did ask your mom if I could spend a few days there, right?”

           “Not yet,” Clarke admitted. “But I will. She’ll say yes.”

           “Clarke, ask her. I don’t want to just show up.”

           “I’ll ask her,” Clarke promised. She pulled her arm out from behind her back, revealing a bouquet of flowers. Lexa’s face lit up immediately and Clarke felt herself smiling widely at the sight.

           Lexa forgot that Octavia and Raven were watching them from their respective cars as she leaned in to kiss Clarke. She heard the girls whistle and rolled her eyes as she pulled away from the blonde. “Thank you. They’re beautiful.”

           “Come on!” Octavia called from Lexa’s car. “You’ve had a week to make-out and you wasted it. It’s too late now.”

           Clarke smirked as she thought back to their two-hour make-out session yesterday. She quickly pushed the thoughts away, though, as she felt herself becoming turned on. Lexa grinned, knowingly and placed a kiss on Clarke’s cheek.

           Raven honked Clarke’s horn, causing the two girls to spring apart. “You can sext later! Let’s go!”

           Lexa blushed at Raven’s words while Clarke seemed to be contemplating them. “We better go before they yell anything else embarrassing for the campus to hear.”

           Clarke nodded in agreement before opening her car door. She bid the brunette farewell and waved at Octavia before getting into her car.

           Raven looked at her best friend, spotting something on her neck. She pulled the collar of Clarke’s shirt down a bit and laughed. “Nice hickey.”

           Clarke slapped Raven’s hand away and pulled her shirt back into place. “Shut up,” she said as she started her car.

           “You know I want details, right?” Raven grinned. “What base are we talking here? Second, third?”

           Clarke rolled her eyes. “We just made-out. Hands stayed in platonic places and-,”

          

 

           “Clothes remained on,” Lexa informed her best friend.

           “You two are so lame,” Octavia sighed. “Did you at least feel her up a bit?”

           Lexa shook her head before placing her sunglasses on her face. “We have an agreed upon pace that we’re going at.”

           Octavia laughed and pretended to speak like Lexa. “We have an agreed upon pace. How are you not a virgin?”

           “I hate you,” Lexa said as she pulled out of her parking space. “I rushed into things with Costia and you know how well that worked out. I’m trying to-,”

          

 

           “Set a foundation here,” Clarke explained. “Everything else can come later.”

           Raven snorted out a laugh. “You’ll definitely be coming a lot later with how you two are being.”

           Clarke shook her head and finally pulled out of her parking space. “I don’t know why I talk to you.”

           “Because I’m your best friend,” Raven stated. “And the only one who knows that your first kiss was with an apple.”

           “You said you’d never repeat that,” Clarke whined.

           Raven grinned. “I’m saying it to you so it doesn’t count. Anyway, details. How’d the kiss happen? Who initiated it?”

           “Well, technically me,” Clarke replied. “But she kissed me first.” Clarke blushed as she thought back to how she had asked Lexa if she wanted to make-out. Not her smoothest moment. “I asked her if she wanted to make-out and-,”

 

 

           “Wait,” Octavia laughed. “She asked you? God, you two are such awkward dorks.”

           “Shut up.” Lexa reached over to shove Octavia playfully. “She’s sweet. And my first kiss with her was better than my drunken first kiss with Costia.”

           “Have you told her about Costia?” Octavia asked, curiously.

           “Not in great detail but she knows about her. I really don’t have a reason to bring her up and I don’t care to.”

           “Fair enough. So excited to be meeting Clarke’s mom? For two people who are supposed to be taking things slow, you’re moving pretty fast,” she joked.

           “I’m meeting her mom as a friend,” Lexa clarified.

           “Yeah, if you want to share a room together, you’ll have to pretend to be just friends. Smart.”

           Lexa laughed. “That is not-,”

 

 

           “Why I don’t want to say anything,” Clarke assured her. “Like I said before, I’m setting a foundation. I’ll tell my mom about her when we’re official.”

           Raven let out a long sigh. “I can’t even live vicariously through you because you’re so lame. How are we friends?”

           Clarke chuckled. “You love me. But seriously, don’t tell my mom about Lexa. You know how she is. Once she finds out, she’ll want a rundown of her entire life and a detailed list of what she plans for her future. She’ll scare her away.”

           Raven made a zipping motion over her mouth and pretended to throw away the key. “She won’t hear about it from me.” Raven was sure Abby would find out on her own. Clarke and Lexa definitely didn’t act platonic while around each other. The small touches and secret smiles they tended to share now that they were dating would probably give them away. Lexa’s visit would definitely prove to be interesting if the two didn’t rein in their cuteness factor.

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

           Clarke was sitting on her bed immersed in a conversation with Lexa as she put unpacking on hold for the moment.

 

Clarke [11:05am]: So are you going to admit that you miss me?

Lexa [11:06am]: It's been a few hours, Clarke. I haven't had time to miss you.

 

           Clarke chuckled at Lexa's response as she moved to get more comfortable on her bed. She leaned against her headboard as she typed out her message.

 

Clarke[11:08am]: That's a horrible answer. To think I spent two hours making out with you yesterday.

Lexa[11:09am]: I will miss that. We should've been doing that a lot sooner than last night.

Clarke[11:10am]:Definitely not arguing with that. I better finish unpacking. I’ll call you later.

Lexa[11:10am]: Sounds good.

Lexa[11:11am]: …and maybe I miss not having someone around to annoy me.

 

           Clarke let out a light laugh as she smiled at the message. Of course Lexa couldn’t just tell her she missed her like a normal person.  A light tap sounded at the door and Clarke looked up to see her mother standing there. “Hey, Mom.”

           “Hey.” Abby walked into the room. “Who are you talking to? I haven’t seen you smile like that in a while.”

           Clarke shook her head as she set her phone aside. “I was just browsing Facebook.”

           Abby looked at her daughter, suspiciously. “So there’s no one new? No boy or girl that’s caught your attention?”

           “Nope,” Clarke replied. “I’m living the single life. Now can we stop talking about my personal life?”

           “Fine. How do you think you did on your finals?”

           Clarke shrugged. “Pretty sure I bombed them all and will have to give up being a doctor to become a starving artist instead.”

           Abby sighed. “Okay, okay. I won’t bombard you with school talk either. How’s your social life? Meet any new friends? Am I allowed to ask you that at least?”

           “That’s a safe question. And yeah, my roommate, Lexa,” Clarke answered, smiling at the thought of the brunette. “We’ve gotten close. She’s a good friend now. Actually, I was wondering if she would be able to spend a few days here in about two weeks.”

           “Of course,” Abby replied. “I can’t wait to meet the girl you dubbed as Satan’s spawn.”

           Clarke’s eyes widened. “Please don’t say that in front of her. I was totally wrong. She’s actually really nice and… well, she’s a bit of a jerk but not in a douchebag kind of way.”

           “So a really nice jerk,” Abby said, amused.

           “Who’s a really nice jerk?” Raven asked as she entered the room.

           “Lexa,” Abby replied.

           “Lexa’s great,” Raven smirked at Clarke before looking back at Abby. “She’s smart, she wants to be a lawyer and she helped Clarke not bomb calculus. Honestly, I question my sexuality around her.”

           “You do not,” Clarke rolled her eyes. “Don’t you have clothes to unpack?”

           “I’m done,” Raven replied as she moved to plop down beside Clarke.

           “Well, Lexa certainly doesn’t sound like how you last described her to me,” Abby said.

           “Like I said,” Clarke began. “I was completely wrong.”

 

 

           Lexa was unpacking her things while Anya laid on her bed talking to her. Her cousin had decided to stay at the house for a bit so that they could catch up for the next two weeks before Lexa left to go to Clarke’s.

           “So how’s the girlfriend?” Anya asked. “Has she done anything I need to inflict bodily harm over?”

           “You’re way too violent for your young age,” Lexa joked. “And no. Also, I should probably tell you that she’s not actually my girlfriend. We’re just dating. Nothing serious.”

           Anya rolled her eyes. “Is that your way of saying you’re still too hesitant to be in a relationship so you’ll settle for “nothing serious” to avoid getting hurt?”

           “Uh, no,” Lexa replied. “It means exactly what I said. There’s no underlying message.”

           Anya scoffed. “Whatever. Smells like teen angst to me. Seriously, forget about Costia. She’s not worth you ruining potential relationships over.”

           Lexa moved her suitcase off her bed, setting it on the floor before she sat down next to Anya. “Costia wasn’t completely wrong. I was closed off. I could’ve been more affectionate. I didn’t-,”

           “Stop,” Anya cut her off. “You gave that girl all you could give her and she was a fucking dick. Clarke doesn’t have my full approval yet but she makes you smile so I’ll give her a chance.”

           Lincoln stuck his head into the room and looked at the two. “Hey, Octavia and Bellamy are here. You two in for a game of basketball?”

           “Are you going to be a sore loser like last time?” Anya asked as she got up from the bed.

           “You cheated last time,” Lincoln said.

           “Aunt Indra banned us from basketball,” Lexa added. Her family had to be the most competitive people she knew and even an innocent game of monopoly could transform into an all-out battle in the blink of an eye.

           “As long as Anya can control her temper when she loses, we’re all good,” Lincoln said.

           Anya glared at her cousin. “I do not have a temper.”

           Octavia entered the room and shook her head at the two. “We’re not even playing yet and you two are being ridiculous.” Octavia looked at Lexa. “Does Clarke know what she’ll eventually be marrying into?”

           Lexa rolled her eyes as she threw a pillow at Octavia. “We’re definitely nowhere near that stage yet.”

           “You’re going over to her place for a few days, maybe she should chill here too,” Octavia suggested.           

           Lexa shook her head. “I don’t want her to feel obligated to say yes.”

           “Then I’ll ask her.” Octavia pulled her phone out.

           “What? No.” Lexa stood up and moved to grab Octavia’s phone but the girl turned away from her as she quickly wrote the text to Clarke.

Octavia[11:36am]: Hey, want to spend a few days at Lexa’s at some point during the holidays? Lexa really wants you to but she thinks you’ll say no. Raven’s welcome to come too!

 

           “And sent.” Octavia turned to face Lexa with a grin.

           “I hate you.” Lexa sighed.

           “You won’t be saying that when you’re getting lai-,”

           “Let’s go play basketball,” Lexa rushed out before Octavia could finish her sentence.

           Octavia chuckled and placed her arm over Lexa’s shoulders. She let Anya and Lincoln leave before she spoke. “I have it all planned out. This house is big enough for you two to get away with getting horizontal.”

           Lexa looked at her best friend in disbelief. “You have my sex life planned out?”

           “Raven and I texted about it,” Octavia said as if what she was saying was completely normal. “If we don’t help you, then you two will never make any progress.” Octavia’s phone buzzed in her hand and she read the text from Clarke.

 

Clarke[11:40am]: Definitely! How about we come down a few days before New Year’s Eve and then just leave for school after?

Octavia[11:40am]: Perfect!

 

          

A week and a half later…

           Lexa was on her phone talking to Clarke as she looked through her clothes. “I’m sorry we can’t talk much tonight.” Lexa had agreed to go out with Octavia to a party so when Clarke had asked if they could skype, she had to turn her down.

           “It’s fine, Lexa,” Clarke assured her. “We’ll talk later.”

           “I don’t even want to go,” Lexa stated.

           “You said Lincoln will be your designated driver, right? Just get drunk and enjoy yourself. I’ll be monopolizing all your time when I see you in two days anyway, which I’m totally excited about.”

           Lexa smiled. “I don’t blame you. People are usually excited by my presence.”      

           “Glad to see you’re still full of yourself,” Clarke joked. “Are you going to admit that you miss me yet?”

           “Actually, I’ve been enjoying the peace and quiet.”

           “Oh yeah? Well, I follow Octavia on Facebook and she posted a picture of you taking a nap in this hoodie that looks exactly like one that I’m mysteriously missing.”

           Lexa felt her cheeks getting hot from how badly she was blushing. She hated social media. It’s why she did her best to avoid it at all cost no matter how many times Octavia tried to get her to join them. “Lots of people own grey hoodies, Clarke.”

           “Do lots of people own grey hoodies with a hole in the elbow from falling off a

skateboard their freshman year of high school?”

           “Hm, sounds like you should retire that hoodie,” Lexa said as she moved to the bed to pick up the evidence that she was lying. “Anyway, I haven’t seen it.” Lexa placed the hoodie in her dresser drawer.

           “Maybe it’ll miraculously appear later,” Clarke said. “I’m not too worried about it.”   

           “Lexa!” Octavia called from downstairs. “Let’s go!”

           “Remember to enjoy yourself,” Clarke said.

           “I’ll try. I’ll text you later if it’s not too late.”

           “Text me either way,” Clarke said before ending the call.

           Lexa smiled and left her room to go join Octavia

 

 

           Lexa was leaning against a wall, nursing the same drink she had been holding for the past two hours. Octavia and Lincoln had been by her side the entire party until Octavia’s favorite song came on and she wanted to dance. Lexa pulled her phone from her pocket and thought about texting Clarke but then decided against it. Clarke was probably doing her own thing right now.

           “Well this is a surprise.”

           Lexa recognized the voice immediately and rolled her eyes. She didn’t respond, hoping her ex would get the hint.

           “So that’s how things are?” Costia asked as she moved to stand in front of Lexa.       

           Lexa sighed as she looked down at her drink, not yet looking at Costia. “What do you want?”

           “I just want to know how you’re doing. How’s school?”

           Lexa finally looked at the girl and was met with concerned brown eyes. She still found her ex’s similar appearance to Jessica Parker Kennedy uncanny. “I’m fine.” Lexa turned to walk away but Costia reached out to stop her.

           “Lexa, come on. Can’t we talk?” She tilted her head to the side and smiled at the brunette. “I’ve missed you.”

           Lexa pulled her arm out of Costia’s grasp. “We didn’t exactly end on the best of terms. I don’t have anything to say to you.”

           “You can’t blame me for us ending,” Costia said, obviously annoyed. “You rarely wanted to go out, you were too focused on school, you never spoke to me about your feelings. You were hard to be with, Lexa. I tried. You were just-,”

           “Not enough. Yeah, we’ve been through this. I’m leaving.” Lexa had a lot of things she wanted to say in her defense but she really didn’t want to start anything at a party.  

           Costia stopped Lexa again. “I really do miss you.”

           Lexa shook her head. “I still care about you, Costia, but I don’t miss you.”

           “I don’t believe that.” Costia moved her hand up to rest behind Lexa’s neck and her gaze fell to the brunette’s lips. “There was one thing we were really good at.”

           Lexa placed her hand around Costia’s wrist and moved her hand away. “We’re not going there. I’m with someone.” Lexa wasn’t sure if she should be offended or pleased by the look of surprise Costia now wore. “Enjoy your night.”

           Costia wasn’t ready to admit defeat just yet so when Lexa went to leave, she stepped in front of her and leaned forward to press their lips together.

           Lexa didn’t hesitate to push her away gently. “It’s too late. I’m not doing this with you.”

           Costia watched Lexa walk away, debating whether she should follow or not but then she heard Octavia’s voice behind her.

           “What the hell was that?”

           Costia rolled her eyes. “Mind your business, Octavia.”

           Octavia took a step towards Costia. “I still owe you several punches to the face so if I were you, I’d watch it.”

           Lincoln pulled the brunette back before she did something to get herself in trouble.

           Octavia glared at Lexa’s ex. “Leave her alone or I’ll destroy you.” She went in the direction where Lexa had gone and found the brunette sitting on the living room couch. “Hey, are you okay?” She sat down beside her.

           “Yeah, surprisingly. I thought it would hurt more to see her but…” Lexa shrugged. “I’m fine.”

           Octavia smiled. “Thank god for that. She’s not worth thinking about. Come on, let’s get out of here. This party has officially been ruined.”

 

 

 

           Clarke was in the living room watching a movie with Raven as she browsed Facebook on her phone. She was looking at the pictures that Octavia had posted, which led her to looking at the profiles of the people the brunette had tagged. She was just about to put her phone down when she saw a familiar name tagged in a photo. Costia Odon. She clicked on the girl’s profile and sat up quickly at the tagged photo she saw of Costia and Lexa kissing. Underneath it was a caption that read: _Reunited._

 

 

            

          

          

          


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

           Octavia entered Lexa’s room and saw her friend lying in bed reading a book. She had been in the guestroom trying to sleep when her phone had been hit with a slew of angry text messages from Raven. ”So we have a problem.”

           Lexa looked up from her book. “Why? What happened?”

           Octavia held her phone out for Lexa to take and when the brunette saw what was on it, her eyes widened. “Has Clarke seen this?”

           “She left a comment,” Octavia answered. “She said she’s glad you managed to have fun. The sarcasm is definitely alive in those words. Don’t worry, though. I’m already all over this. I messaged Costia with some very strong words. She actually apologized. She said that her friend saw you two talking and got the wrong idea. Several pictures were taken and the kiss just happened to be one of them. It should be down in the next few minutes.”

           Lexa sighed. “Thank you, Octavia.” She had thought Clarke had fallen asleep when her text message had gone unanswered but now she knew that wasn’t why. She picked up her phone and called Clarke, hoping she would answer. The phone rang twice before she was sent to voicemail. “She’s ignoring me.”

           “I’ll call her,” Octavia said. She called the blonde and wasn’t too surprised when she received the same treatment.

           “I’ll try Raven.”

           “I told Raven what went down but she hasn’t responded,” Octavia said. “Maybe give Clarke the night to calm down.”

           “Then she’ll just come up with her own ideas of what happened and it’ll be worse tomorrow.” Lexa’s phone chimed and she quickly looked at the text message, assuming it was from Clarke. She frowned when she saw that it was from Costia.

 

Costia[11:34pm]: I’m sorry about the kiss. It was stupid. Seeing you just made me feel a lot of things. And I’m sorry about the picture. I told my friend to take it down. She didn’t mean any harm. She thought we were getting back together.

           “Is that Clarke?” Octavia asked.

           “No, it’s Costia.”

Costia[11:35pm]: I meant it when I said I miss you. Maybe one of these days we can be friends again. You used to be my best friend. I’d like that back. I’m sorry again.

           “What does that-,”

           “Don’t,” Lexa cut her off, gently. “She wasn’t the greatest girlfriend and things ended horribly but she’s not a bad person.”

           Octavia rolled her eyes. “Why are you defending?”

           “I’m not defending her. I just don’t want it to be this big thing anymore. You don’t have to hate her.”

           Octavia sighed. “Fine, but I still don’t like her.”

           Lexa ignored Costia’s text message for now and sent Clarke one instead.

            

 

          

 

 

 

           “Octavia said-,”

           “I don’t care what Octavia said, Raven.” Clarke was sketching angrily as Raven stood at the end of her bed. “You know what? It doesn’t matter because we’re not even together.”

           “You should talk to Lexa,” Raven urged. “Or at least hear me out. Octavia told me the whole story.”

           Clarke thought about it for a few seconds before nodding. “Go ahead.” She continued to busy herself with sketching while Raven repeated what her text message from Octavia said. When Clarke didn’t say anything after she was done, Raven continued to speak. “So basically, Costia kissed Lexa and Lexa pushed her away. It didn’t mean anything.”

           Clarke rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I haven’t heard that one before.”

           “Finn slept with someone else and then blamed you for him cheating. Lexa isn’t like that.”

           Clarke looked up from her sketchpad to look at Raven. “You were talking about all the ways you could get away with murdering her seconds ago but now she can do no wrong?”

           “I’ve had time to think about it,” Raven said. “Lexa wouldn’t hurt you like this.”

           “Maybe she didn’t mean for the kiss to happen but Costia is her first love. She had to have felt something. It would be stupid of me to think otherwise.”  

           Clarke’s phone buzzed beside her and she picked it up to read the text message she had received.

Lexa[11:40pm]: I didn’t kiss Costia. I only want you. Call me.

 

 

 

Two days later…

           “This was a bad idea,” Lexa said as she sat with Octavia in her car outside of Clarke’s house. The blonde had never called or texted her back so Lexa had decided to just show up but now she was having second thoughts.

           “Raven said Clarke has trust issues because of an ex,” Octavia explained. “You just need to go speak to her and let her know exactly how you feel.”

           Lexa bit at her bottom lip before taking a deep breath and getting out of the car. Octavia followed her to the front door and rang the doorbell since it seemed like Lexa only planned to stare at the door.

           “Raven said Clarke’s mom won’t be home until tonight so that’s a plus,” Octavia said.

           The door opened and Raven narrowed her eyes at Lexa. “I stuck up for you so you better not be full of shit.”

           “The whole thing is a misunderstanding,” Lexa promised.

           Raven gestured towards the staircase. “Last door on the right.”

           “Thank you.” Lexa made her way upstairs and slowly walked down the hall to Clarke’s room. When she reached the door, she hesitated for a moment before knocking.

           “Not right now, Raven,” Clarke called back.

           Lexa turned the knob slowly and pushed the door open. She stepped inside and saw Clarke sitting on her bed with a sketchpad. Paper littered the floor and Lexa could tell that it was drawings that Clarke had given up on midway through. She picked one up and saw that it was someone that looked a lot like herself on a railroad track with an oncoming train.

           “What are you doing here?”

           Lexa looked up but didn’t see any malice in Clarke’s eyes. “We had plans,” she tried for a light approach.

           “I kind of assumed those plans were canceled,” Clarke said, dryly.

           “I was hoping they wouldn’t be,” Lexa said. “Can we talk?”

           “You don’t have to explain it to me,” Clarke began. “It’s not like we’re together. We never talked about being exclusive. It’s whatever.”

           “It’s not whatever, Clarke.” Lexa set Clarke’s drawing down on the desk in the corner of the room before moving over to stand by the bed. “I pushed her away.”

           “I believe you,” Clarke admitted.

           “Then what’s wrong?” Lexa asked. “You’ve ignored me for two days.”

           “Do you still have feelings for her?” Clarke asked. “Would you want to be with her?”

            Lexa knelt by the bed and took Clarke’s hand into her own. “No.” Lexa ran her thumb over Clarke’s knuckles, relieved that the blonde hadn’t pulled her hand away. “I loved Costia and it hurt for a long time after we broke-up, but I don’t want to be with her. I gave her all I could but one day she sent me a text saying it was over. I tried to talk to her but she told me I wasn’t enough. The other night was the first time we’ve spoken in months.” Lexa let out a breath. “Now you know about Costia.”

           Clarke knew it was hard for Lexa to share so much information with her and appreciated the brunette’s efforts. She figured she would do the same. “Finn… my ex-boyfriend, he cheated on me two weeks after my father died and then told me it was because I had become too distant. There. Now you know about Finn.”

           Lexa definitely wouldn’t mind crossing paths with Clarke’s ex so she could beat him up. “He sounds like a tool.”

           “He wasn’t always.”

           Things grew quiet and Lexa was afraid to speak, not wanting to break the moment but she had to know if they were okay. “Are we okay?”

           “You know, maybe Costia just didn’t know how to be with you. That doesn’t mean someone else won’t know how to be.” Clarke knew that Lexa needed alone time, she knew that the girl preferred small group hangouts over parties. She was still learning new things about the brunette everyday but she was pretty sure she had the hang of it. Being with Lexa wasn’t difficult. It was amazing.

           Lexa smiled. “I’m hoping that’s the case. There’s this really amazing girl that I like a lot. She’s an artist, actually. Super talented. I think she wants me dead, though, because there’s this picture she drew of me on a railroad track.”

           Clarke laughed and playfully hit Lexa on the shoulder. “I don’t want you dead. I drew that the other night when my anger was more intense.”

           Lexa became serious as she stared into Clarke’s bright eyes. “I didn’t kiss her back. I pushed her away immediately.”

           Clarke brushed a strand of hair behind Lexa’s hair. “I believe you. Really.” Clarke tugged the brunette up onto her bed. Lexa kicked off her shoes and moved so that she was lying next to Clarke. “Sorry I ignored you.”

           Lexa placed a kiss on Clarke’s cheek. “You’re forgiven.”

           “Think Octavia and Raven will come to check on us anytime soon?” Clarke asked.

           “We probably have a few more minutes until they check to see if you’ve killed me.”

           Clarke rolled her eyes as she moved so that she was on top of Lexa. “It’s just a picture.”

           “A very telling picture.” Lexa leaned up and captured Clarke’s lips with her own before rolling the blonde onto her back. “I’m a little afraid of you now to be honest.”

           “Lexa.”

           “Hm?”

           “Shut up and kiss me.”

           Lexa leaned down and kissed Clarke, but then a thought hit her. She placed a final kiss one the blonde’s lips before getting off the bed.

           Clarke frowned in confusion. “What are you doing?”

           “I just remembered where we are,” Lexa said. “We can’t make-out like this in your mom’s house.”

           Clarke rolled her eyes. “She’s not even here.”

           “It’s still disrespectful,” Lexa stated.

           Clarke sighed as she moved to get up. “Haven’t you heard that chivalry is dead?”

           Lexa chuckled. “Nope, I haven’t gotten that memo.”

           “This is going to be an interesting two weeks,” Clarke said. “You can’t resist all this, Woods.” She gestured up and down her body. “I can break your willpower.”

           Lexa grinned. “You can certainly try.” She clasped her fingers with Clarke’s and pulled her towards the door. “Come on, let’s go let our matchmakers know their hard work hasn’t been ruined.”

          


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

           The following morning, Abby exited her room to the smell of breakfast being made. It was still early so she was surprised that Clarke or Raven had actually gotten up, let alone decided to make breakfast. She had gotten home late because she was needed in the ER so she hadn’t yet been acquainted with Clarke’s roommate, Lexa. She made her way down the hall to Clarke’s room and knocked gently. When she didn’t receive a response, she pushed the door open and was surprised to see that not only were Clarke and Raven sharing a room but neither of them were the ones downstairs. She closed the door and made her way to the kitchen where she found a brunette at the stove flipping pancakes. “Good morning.”

           Lexa turned her head quickly at the unfamiliar voice. “Ms. Griffin, hi.” Lexa finished the last pancake, placed it on a plate with several others before setting the pan down and turning off the stove. “Sorry, did I wake you?”

           Abby smiled. “No, not at all. You must be Lexa.”

           Lexa held out her hand to shake Abby’s. “That would be me. Thank you again for letting me into your home and sorry for the last minute addition. Octavia really wanted to come.”

           “Octavia?” Abby repeated. “Raven’s roommate?”

           “Yeah, she’s also my best friend,” Lexa informed her. “Sorry, I thought Clarke had told you.”

           “That’s not a problem at all. I can’t wait to meet her as well.”

           Lexa smiled, relieved. “I made pancakes if you’re hungry. The coffee should be done soon too.”

           “You didn’t have to do all this,” Abby said.

           “It’s fine. I was awake and needed something to do.”

           Abby moved to retrieve plates. “So, Clarke told me that you want to major in law. That’s very impressive.”

           “Thank you. It’s something I’m very passionate about.” Lexa began to place the pancakes on the plates that Abby had set out on the counter.

           “What made you want to be a lawyer?” Abby asked as she moved to pour herself a cup of coffee.

           “I’m from a family of lawyers,” Lexa explained, not really wanting to delve into how the death of her parents really drove her to seek a career in the field. Lexa retrieved a knife and fork and began to cut the pancakes on one of the plates.

           Abby chuckled as she watched. “I used to have to cut Clarke’s pancakes before giving them to her because if she was really hungry-,”

           “She’d just stick a fork in them and eat like a barbarian? Yeah, that hasn’t changed,” she said with a smirk.

           Abby laughed. “It’s sweet of you to do that for her. You two must be close.”

           Lexa nodded. “We are. Clarke’s great. I got lucky getting her as a roommate. I’m sure not many other people would’ve been able to put up with my nonsense.”

           “And Clarke does?” Abby asked, surprised. Clarke wasn’t one to put up with much.  

           Lexa laughed lightly. “Yes and no. Mostly, no. She puts me in my place more often than not.”

           “That sounds like Clarke.” Abby remembered that Raven mentioned Lexa had been tutoring Clarke and decided to thank the brunette for not letting her daughter struggle. “I heard that you’re tutoring Clarke in calculus.”

           “I am.” Lexa moved to go pour herself a cup of coffee. “I have total faith that she did well on her final,” Lexa assured the woman. “Clarke’s very smart. I think she just gets intimidated by all those numbers and decides that she can’t do it before she even really tries.”

           “Thank you for helping her,” Abby said, sincerely.

           “You’re welcome. It’s not really a hardship. I like spending time with her.” Lexa realized what she had said and nervously scratched at the back of her neck. “I should probably go wake the dead.” 

           “Already up.” Clarke walked into the kitchen tiredly. She took the mug Lexa was holding and sipped it before making a face. “Too strong,” she whined.

           Lexa rolled her eyes and took the coffee but she was smiling as she added creamer to it. She handed it back to Clarke and the blonde sipped it again before giving a hum of approval. “Morning, Mom.”

           “Morning, sweetheart,” Abby replied amused at the interaction between Clarke and Lexa. “Lexa made us breakfast.”

           Clarke smiled and reached for the pancakes on the plate that she knew was hers. Lexa slapped her hand gently. “Use a fork, Clarke. I even cut them for you.”

           “I see that. Thanks. It’s the least you could do for making me room with Raven. She kicked me like three times in her sleep.”

           “I did not,” Raven said as she entered the kitchen with Octavia.

           “You did,” Clarke said. “You’re a violent sleeper.” Clarke gestured to Octavia. “Mom, this is Octavia.”

           Abby smiled and shook the girl’s hand in greeting. “Nice to meet you.”

           “You too, Ms. Griffin. It’s awesome that you’re a doctor. Very bad ass.”

           “Octavia,” Lexa chided.

           “What?” Octavia asked, not seeing a problem with anything she had just said.

           “Come on, let’s eat,” Clarke said. “Lexa was all domestic this morning and made us breakfast.”

           “Thanks, Lexa,” Octavia and Raven said as they grabbed their plates and immediately began eating as they went to go sit at the table.

           Lexa shook her head. “It’s as if I’m the only one with any home training.”

           Clarke picked a piece of her pancake up and ate it with her fingers as if to further prove Lexa’s point. “This is so good.” She grabbed her plate and the syrup before heading over to sit with the others.

           Lexa shook her head and looked at Abby as she handed the woman a fork. “I guess we’re on our own in etiquette.”

           Abby took the fork and tapped it to Lexa’s. “To those of us who aren’t barbarians,” she joked.

           Clarke turned her head and smiled at them before returning her attention to her food.

 

 

           “I’m so glad you two get along so well,” Clarke said as she laid on her bed next to Lexa. Her mother had left to run some errands while Raven and Octavia had gone out to get some air.

           “Your mom is pretty cool,” Lexa said.

           “You won’t feel that way when she finds out you’re my gir- that we’re dating,” she quickly corrected.

           Lexa smirked. “What were you going to say?”

           “Nothing,” Clarke replied.

           “Really? Because it sounded really close to girlfriend,” Lexa teased her.

           Clarke poked Lexa in the side. “Hush, you. It was a slipup.”

           Lexa rolled onto her stomach and looked at Clarke. “I would’ve been fine with that slipup.”

           Clarke quirked a brow. “Are you saying that you would be fine with me calling you my girlfriend?”

           Lexa shrugged and rolled onto her back again. “If that’s what you want.”

           “Is it what _you_ want?” Clarke questioned.

           Lexa bit at her lower lip before nodding. “Yeah, I um… I want to be your girlfriend.”

           Clarke moved so that she was straddling Lexa. “Okay,” she smiled down at her.

           “Okay?” Lexa had been expecting it to be more of a conversation than that.

           Clarke nodded. “Okay,” she said again as she leaned down to kiss the brunette. “We’re girlfriends… officially. Raven and Octavia will be so proud of us for progressing things without their help.”

           Lexa chuckled against Clarke’s lips. “They definitely will be.” She placed her hand on Clarke’s chest and gently pushed her away. “We can’t. Your mom-,”

           “Isn’t here,” Clarke cut her off. “Just relax. You’re not being disrespectful or whatever.” She kissed Lexa again and was relieved when the brunette relaxed into the kiss. She laid her body flush against Lexa’s to get more comfortable and let out a surprised squeal when Lexa flipped them over. Clarke chuckled. “Is this your way of saying that you’re a top?”

           Lexa winked at the blonde before kissing her. She slipped her thigh between Clarke’s legs and rocked into her causing Clarke to let out a light moan. “Is this okay?” She asked, breathlessly.

           Clarke nodded frantically before leaning up to capture Lexa’s lips once more. She trailed her hand up Lexa’s shirt and scratched lightly at her sides as they made-out. When a few minutes went past, Clarke broke the kiss. “I want to feel more of you.” She raised her shirt up so that it was bunched up under her breasts before she reached up to raise Lexa’s shirt too. Lexa got the hint and lowered her stomach against Clarke’s and she delighted in the feeling of warm skin against her own.

           Several moments later, Lexa moved her kisses to Clarke’s neck and she could feel the blonde’s pulse hammering in her neck and it turned her on even more. She felt Clarke shift and then gasped when the girl bucked up into her. “We should stop,” she breathed out. “I’m seconds away from doing some very disrespectful things to you.”

           Clarke grinned and nodded in agreement. “Yeah, we should stop. But do you see how easy it was for me to get you this way? You lack willpower, Ms. Woods.”

           Lexa looked sheepishly at the blonde. “I hate you.” She pushed herself off of Clarke. “I have willpower.”

           Clarke sat up and placed several kisses along Lexa’s neck. “I don’t. You’re really hot.”

           Lexa shivered as Clarke nipped at her neck. She pushed Clarke away before pulling her girlfriend’s shirt down to cover her stomach. “We should go somewhere where there’s not a bed.”

           Clarke chuckled. “Fine. Do you want to watch a movie?”

           “No,” Lexa replied.

           Clarke stood up and tugged the brunette off of the bed. “Then bring a book. I’m watching movie.”

          

 

 

           An hour later, Clarke was sitting on the couch watching a comedy while Lexa’s head rested on her lap as she read a book. Clarke’s hand had found its way under Lexa’s shirt and she was absentmindedly stroking the brunette’s stomach.

           Neither of them heard the front door open or saw Abby watching them from the entryway of the living room. Abby was initially surprised at the sight before her, but it all made sense after the shock wore off. The two definitely behaved like a couple. She had to admit it was sweet to see the two doing their own thing but wanting to be close to each other. Abby was also very relieved because she could’ve walked in on them doing something a lot different. She quietly backed up to the front door and opened it before closing it loudly. “Clarke, Raven! I’m home!”

           Several seconds passed.

           “In the living room!” Clarke called. “And Raven’s not here!”

           Abby entered the living room and saw that Clarke was now sitting on one end of the couch while Lexa sat at the other end looking guilty as she stared down at her book. “You two enjoying yourselves?”

           “Yeah, just watching a movie,” Clarke replied.

           Lexa held up her book. “Just getting some reading done. Did you need help bringing anything inside, Ms. Griffin?”

           “Actually I do have a few groceries that need to be brought in,” Abby replied. “Thank you, Lexa. But first, I just have a question.”

           “Yes?” Lexa asked.

           Abby threw on her most intimidating look. “How long have you been dating my daughter?”

           Lexa’s eyes widened and she looked at Clarke who looked equally as shocked as she was. “Um… sorry?”

           “You and Clarke,” Abby unnecessarily clarified. “How long have you been together?”

           “Mom,” Clarke began as she stood up.

           “I’m talking to Lexa,” Abby informed her as she folded her arms across her chest.

           Lexa stood up to face the woman. “Officially dating… like an hour and a half. Unofficially, about three weeks. And I swear to you that I’ve been totally respectful of your daughter, Ms. Griffin. I even made sure we slept in separate beds so when you found out you wouldn’t be upset. I would never do anything with Clarke in your home.” Lexa’s eyes widened at her own words. “Not that we’re doing anything like that anywhere else… because we’re not.”

           Clarke moved to stand beside Lexa, linking their fingers together. “I was going to tell you. We were just still figuring things out.”

           Abby nodded in understanding. “And you figured them out?”

           Clarke smiled. “We have. I hope you’re not upset.”

           Abby unfolded her arms, dropping her façade. “Of course not,” she smiled. “Lexa, you’re a very nice girl and I appreciate what you’ve done to remain… respectful while in my home.”

           Clarke let out a sigh of relief. “So we can share a room?”

           “Absolutely not,” Abby replied. “And I hope sharing a room in college isn’t distracting you both from your schoolwork.”

           “I assure you that it isn’t,” Lexa promised. “We’re both very serious about our studies. Me more-so than Clarke,” she added, which earned her an elbow to the side from the blonde. “But I keep her focused.”

           “Clarke can you get the groceries from the car while I have a conversation with Lexa?” Abby asked.

           “What kind of conversation?” Clarke was nervous about leaving Lexa alone with her mother in fear that the woman would say something to scare Lexa away.

           “I’ll be nice,” Abby promised. “Go.” Clarke sighed and squeezed Lexa’s hand gently before heading out of the living room. Abby gestured to the couch. “Let’s talk.”

          

          

 

 

 

 

 

 


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

           Lexa sat down on the couch and clasped her fingers together as she rested them on her lap, hoping it would stop her from fidgeting. The only big talk she had about relationships was years ago from her brother and he had basically told her to always be respectful, never let anyone use her and if something bad did happen, tell Anya because he wouldn’t hit a girl. Lexa’s attention snapped back to Abby when the woman began to speak.

           “So, what are your intentions with my daughter?”

           Lexa sat up straight as she answered. “Nothing bad.”

           Abby quirked a brow. “That’s not an answer.”

           Lexa’s eyes widened slightly as she quickly added, “I just want to be a part of the reason she’s happy. Our relationship is very new but I’m excited to see where things go and I can definitely see a future with Clarke.”

           Abby smiled slightly at Lexa’s words but it quickly disappeared as she continued with the conversation. “I’m sure you know that Clarke has a bad track record when it comes to relationships.”

           “I know of Finn,” Lexa replied. “No one else.”

           “Finn was her first serious relationship. She had dated others before him, though. None of them were good enough for her. As much as I would prefer for her to stay single and focus on school, I’m glad she has at least found someone that seems to have a good head on her shoulders. I hope you won’t hurt her.”

           “I hope I won’t either, Ms. Griffin,” Lexa replied. “I wish I could say that I without a doubt won’t ever hurt her, but I might mess up unintentionally. I will, however, do my best to make up for whatever stupid thing I do. And I had no intention of dating anyone this year, let alone my roommate, but Clarke just kind of… pulled me in.”

           “I appreciate the honesty,” Abby smiled. “And Clarke has a way of catching people’s attention.”

           Lexa laughed. “I’m well aware. I was getting rid of all the boys who hit on her at parties before I even realized I had feelings for her.”

           Abby chuckled. “Her father would’ve liked you.”

           Lexa smiled at the woman’s words. “I’ve heard a lot about him. I’m sure I would’ve liked him as well.”

           “I think you’ll be great for Clarke,” Abby surmised. “Please just be careful with her heart. She’s had it broken too many times at her young age. Her father passing and then Finn turning out to be a horrible guy. She just needs something good.”

           Lexa definitely wanted to be that something good. “I’ll do my best to make her happy. You raised an amazing young woman.”

           Abby patted Lexa on her knee. “Thank you. And with you two being roommates, I hope you’re not tempted to progress things in your relationship too quickly. Sex changes things. I wouldn’t want you being too distracted with each other to stay focused on school.”

           Lexa blushed at the woman’s words. “We won’t let that happen.”

           “I’m done.” Clarke entered the living room and looked from Lexa to her mom. “Are you two finished here?”

           “Yes, but now I want to talk to you,” Abby said. “Lexa, why don’t you go wait for Clarke upstairs.”

           “Yes, ma’am.” Lexa got up and left the living room so Abby could talk with her daughter.

           “I hope you didn’t terrify her,” Clarke said as she went to go sit down by her mom. “I really like her.”

           “I’m pretty sure I didn’t,” Abby said. “You have my stamp of approval… not that you were looking for it. She’s a very genuine girl. I hope you’re not rushing into a relationship before you’re ready. I wouldn’t want to see either of you get hurt.”

           Clarke rested her head on her mother’s shoulder and Abby put an arm around her. “Lexa’s really patient and we have a lot in common when it comes to getting hurt so we’re fine with a slow and steady pace.”

           “I’m actually really impressed that she’s who you’re dating,” Abby admitted. “Well-mannered, smart, nice.”

           Clarke raised her head to playfully glare at her mother. “Are you saying that you’re surprised someone like that has gone for someone like me?”

           “No, of course not. I’m saying I’m surprised you went for someone like her. I thought you were a jerk magnet. I’m glad that’s not the case.”

           Clarke chuckled. “I’m pretty sure jerk is Lexa’s middle name.”

           “Oh, that’s right,” Abby remembered Clarke’s description of Lexa. “A nice jerk.”

           “Exactly.” Clarke stood up from the couch. “I should go check on her to make sure she’s not traumatized from talking to you.”

           “I went easy on her,” Abby called to Clarke as the blonde left the living room.

           Clarke entered her room and found Lexa going through her sketchpad. “Hey!” She chided, half-heartedly.

           Lexa looked up with a huge smile. “These are amazing, Clarke! I mean, your nature sketches are fantastic, but these… they’re just _so_ realistic. And if I didn’t know you, I’d think you were a total stalker.”

           Clarke rolled her eyes as she moved towards the bed. “You should be flattered that I take the time to draw your face.”

           Lexa laughed lightly. “And you should be honored to be able to sketch this awesomeness.”

           Clarke sat down on the bed and looked at the sketch that Lexa was looking at. It was one of the brunette immersed in a textbook as she studied. “You’re so full of yourself.” She kissed Lexa on the cheek before  leaning against the headboard. “So what’d my mom talk to you about?”

           Lexa closed the sketchpad and set it on the nightstand. “Oh, the usual. What are your intentions, don’t hurt my daughter, don’t become sex fiends just because we room together.”

           Clarke’s eyes widened. “She said that?! She didn’t say that.”

           “Not in those words exactly, but it was definitely implied.”

           Clarke groaned. “That’s not embarrassing at all.”

           Lexa chuckled. “It was fine. Not scary like I thought it was going to be. She just wants the best for you and, from what she told me, I’m pretty sure I’m her favorite out of everyone you’ve dated.”

           Clarke shrugged. “Yeah, I guess you’re alright.” Lexa lightly pushed the blonde causing Clarke to laugh. “I’m kidding. You’re great.” She laid down and cuddled into Lexa’s side. “I’m taking a nap. Raven and Octavia should be back by the time I wake up.”

           “They’ve been gone for a while,” Lexa noted.

           “Yeah, they’re Christmas shopping,” Clarke said as she closed her eyes. “Lay down.”

           “Right, Christmas. Is there anything you want?” Lexa had thought about gifts for Clarke but nothing seemed just right.

           “Nope,” Clarke answered as she threw an arm over Lexa’s stomach. “Lay down with me.”

           “I’m not tired,” Lexa replied. “And are you sure? I’ll get you whatever.”

           “Lay down anyway,” Clarke ordered. “And really, we can skip the whole gift giving thing this year.”

           “I’m not taking a nap just because you’re tired.” Lexa ran her fingers through Clarke’s hair as she added, “And are you sure?”

           “I want to cuddle,” Clarke tugged at the hem of Lexa’s shirt. “And I’m sure. Christmas was my dad’s favorite holiday and I get really sad around this time. I’m not much for partaking in the whole thing anymore.”

           Lexa moved so that she was lying beside Clarke and she pressed a kiss to the blonde’s forehead. “Totally understandable. I get the same way.” She pulled Clarke in closer and smiled when her girlfriend mumbled something unintelligible into her side. “What was that?”

           “I got you this year,” Clarke repeated. “I don’t think anything can top that.”

           Lexa felt her heart skip a beat and couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her lips. “You’re incredibly cheesy.”

           “Shut up,” Clarke said, light-heartedly.

           Lexa kissed Clarke on the forehead again and remained silent for the few minutes that it took Clarke to fall asleep. Once Clarke was out, she stretched over slowly to retrieve the sketchpad without waking her girlfriend.

           As Lexa began to look at the sketches, Clarke’s room door opened and Abby stood there with two sandwiches on a plate for the girls. Lexa set the sketchpad down and moved to sit up but then remembered Clarke was currently glued to her side. “Um, she was tired.” Abby looked to where Clarke’s hand was currently resting under Lexa’s shirt. “Sorry, she has this habit of-,” Lexa realized what she was saying and stopped herself. “We didn’t do anything.” She gently pulled Clarke’s hand out from under her shirt but the sleeping blonde shifted in her sleep and put her hand right back where it had been. Lexa blushed and was tempted to wake Clarke up but Abby chuckled.

           “Relax, Lexa,” Abby said, quietly. “Do you want to eat now or should I put these downstairs?”

           “You don’t have to bring them back down. You can put them on the dresser. I’ll wake Clarke in half an hour. Thank you, Ms. Griffin.”

           “You’re welcome, and call me Abby.” Abby set the plates down on the dresser and smiled at how cute Clarke and Lexa looked together before leaving.

          

 

Two weeks later...

 

           Lexa was sitting in the living room next to Anya as they waited for Clarke and Raven to arrive. Lexa found, in the two weeks that had passed, that she was really missing Clarke. They had skyped a few times and their longest phone conversation had been during the night of Christmas Eve when she had been really missing her parents and Clarke had wanted to talk more about her father. They had bonded even more on an emotional level that night and Lexa had wished Clarke was near so she could hold her.  

           Anya smirked as she watched Lexa check her phone for the umpteenth time. "So does Clarke know that this is basically a family hangout spot? Is she up for me, Lincoln and Echo being around?"

           "She's not used to big families but I'm sure she'll enjoy the change." Lexa knew that Raven was the closest thing Clarke had to a sister and her parents had both been only children so there were no cousins or any other kids for her to spend time with growing up. Clarke had done well during the barbeque so she was sure the girl would be fine spending the next few days with her brother and cousins.

           "And I hope you let her know that she'll be required to join us in any games that we play. She can't expect to be the future Mrs. Clarke Woods if she can't handle a little healthy competition."

           Lexa snorted out a laugh. "Healthy competition? And please don't say things like "future Mrs. Clarke Woods" while she's here. I don't need you scaring away my girlfriend."

           "How's she scaring Clarke away?" Lincoln asked as he entered the living room with Echo.

           "Clarke Woods," Anya said simply.

           Lincoln nodded his approval. "It has a ring to it."

           "She'll have to pass all the tests to earn that," Echo stated. "Costia was a sore loser and never wanted to play with us."

           Lexa frowned. “Tests?”

           Echo grinned. “Yeah, she has to prove herself. Not a lot of people can handle this family.”

           Lincoln laughed at the trueness of that statement. “She’s proved herself. If Clarke can handle Lexa, she can handle pretty much anyone in this family.” Lexa had been about to protest but she knew that was a pretty accurate statement.

           Anya shrugged. “It’s already been decided.”

           “What’s been decided?” Octavia entered the living room as she removed her jacket. The front door was unlocked so she had made her way inside.  

           Lexa gestured to Anya and Echo. “They’re going to torture Clarke.”

           Echo rolled her eyes. “Don’t be so dramatic. We like her. We just want to mess with her a bit.”

           “Yeah, it’s all in good fun,” Anya assured her. “No worries.”

           Octavia laughed. “Clarke can definitely hold her own with the Woods family.”

           “I guess we’re going to find out,” Anya replied.

           Lexa sighed. She knew she wouldn’t be able to talk them out of their plans so she hoped Clarke wouldn’t mind their antics while she was here.  

            


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

Lexa heard a car door slam from outside and quickly got up to open the front door. She smiled as she saw Clarke and Raven making their way towards the house and stepped outside to help them with their bags, but was quickly reprimanded by Clarke.

           “It’s freezing and you only have a hoodie on.” Clarke recognized the hoodie and laughed. “My hoodie, actually. The one you claimed to not have.”

            Lexa looked down at the hoodie. “Oh, I guess I accidentally packed it,” she smirked as she took Clarke’s duffel bag and then took Raven’s.

           Raven smiled in thanks at the brunette. “So chivalrous… and strong.” She looked over at Clarke. “I definitely question my sexuality around your girlfriend.”

           Clarke playfully punched Raven in the shoulder as they made their way inside the house.

           “Hey, bitches!” Octavia hugged her friends. “We’re going to have so much fun this week.”

           “I’m going to bring these bags upstairs,” Lexa said as she moved towards the stairs.     

           Clarke removed her jacket and hung it on the coat rack by the door. “I’ll help.” She took one of the bags from Lexa and followed the brunette upstairs.

           Octavia laughed. “Yeah, we’ll see them back down here in like an hour.”

           Lexa set Raven’s bag in one of the guestrooms before walking down the hall to her room where Clarke would be staying. Clarke set her bag down and quirked a brow. “We’re sharing a room?”

           Lexa nodded. “My aunt and uncle won’t care. Besides, their room is on a different floor.” Lexa tugged Clarke to her by her shirt and kissed her. “I’m glad you’re here,” she said against her lips.

           Clarke smiled. “Me too,” she said before pressing her lips to Lexa’s. Lexa backed Clarke into her dresser, knocking a few things over at the impact. Clarke hummed her surprise when Lexa picked her up by the hips and set her on the dresser. “Geez, you are strong,” she said as the brunette began to place kisses along her neck. She wrapped her legs around Lexa’s small frame and brought the girl’s head up so that she could kiss her again.

           “Will you two detach from the lips!” Anya yelled from downstairs. “Uncle Gustus called. He wants me to run to the store. Let’s go, Clarke!”

           Lexa rolled her eyes. “You don’t have to go with her.”

           “No, it’s fine,” Clarke breathed out. She kissed Lexa again before getting off the dresser. “We can continue this later.” She ran a hand through her hair and straightened her shirt.

           “I can go with her.”

           “Really, I want to go,” Clarke assured her girlfriend. “I love being alone with people who look like they can kill me and get away with it.”

           Lexa laughed. “That’s a pretty accurate description of Anya.” She moved towards the door and opened it for Clarke. “You’re a very brave soul.”

           Clarke chuckled as she walked through the door. Things had been fine with her and Anya at the barbeque so she wasn’t really worried about anything.

 

 

           “So,” Anya began after being on the road for a few minutes. “A future doctor, huh?”

           Clarke had been a little tense but she relaxed at the question. “Yeah, that’s the plan.”

           “Okay, good. Then I don’t have to tell you which of your bones I can break with little to no effort if you hurt my cousin.”

           Clarke’s eyebrows rose to the top of her head at Anya’s threat. “Oh, okay. Straight to the point. Um, we’re taking things slow and seeing what happens. I definitely hope to avoid any type of heartbreak on both our parts.”

           Anya glanced at Clarke before looking back at the road. “I’m going to tell you about Costia, Lexa’s ex.”

           “I’ve heard about her,” Clarke said.

           “From Lexa, Octavia and probably even Lincoln, but not from me,” Anya pointed out. “So shut up and listen.”

           Clarke smirked. Lexa and Anya were definitely alike.

           “Costia was a taker. Lexa would give her all she could but it was never enough,” Anya stated. “I told Lexa that but she was in too deep with her feelings to pay me any mind. And when I say Costia was a taker, I mean in the emotional sense. She wanted all of Lexa’s attention and she wanted her to be a certain way. So I’m telling you now that if you’re in this relationship with plans to change my cousin, it’s not the relationship for you.”

           “I think Lexa’s perfect the way she is. Flaws and all. I don’t have any desire to change her.”

           “Good, because she really likes you and this is the happiest I’ve seen her in a while so don’t go messing things up.”

           Clarke smiled. “I won’t.” She waited a beat before adding, “So are we good?”

           Anya pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store before looking at Clarke. “Not yet, but the thought of having to physically harm you if you hurt Lexa makes me feel a little bad.”

           Clarke watched Anya get out of the car before finally undoing her seatbelt. “Okay, I guess that sounds a little like progress.”

 

 

 

           Lexa was trying to listen to the conversation her friends and family were having but she was too busy worrying about whether Anya had terrified Clarke into deciding it was best for her to remain single.

Lexa[1:16pm]: How’s it going?

Clarke[1:20pm]: Anya’s a lot more scary than I remember her being at the barbeque but things are going pretty well… I think.

           Octavia snatched Lexa’s phone from her hand to read the text messages. She rolled her eyes and handed it back to the brunette. “Don’t you two ever sext?”

           “Definitely don’t need to be here for this conversation.” Lincoln stood up. “Anyone want anything to drink?”

           “Water, please,” Raven said before looking at Lexa. “Do you two do anything beyond kissing? Have you touched her boobs yet?”

           Lexa blushed as she tossed a throw pillow at Raven’s head. “We’re not having this conversation.”

           “Ohmygod, you haven’t.” Octavia shook her head. “Even Lincoln and I have-,”

           “Do not finish that sentence,” Lexa warned. “I don’t need to hear about you and my brother doing anything.”

           “I think it’s sweet that you two are taking things slow,” Echo voiced from her spot on the couch across from them.

           “Echo,” Octavia began. “You haven’t seen these two together the last few months. The sexual tension is ridiculous.”

           “Yeah, I bet the only reason they haven’t progressed is because they’re too awkward to make any moves.”

           “I hate you both,” Lexa informed them.

           “You know we speak the truth,” Octavia said.

           “I just don’t want to do anything that will make Clarke uncomfortable,” Lexa explained.

           “Just test it out,” Raven said. “If Clarke doesn’t want it to happen, she’ll definitely let you know.”

           Lincoln returned to the living room and the conversation went back to something more appropriate. As they talked, Lexa felt her phone vibrate and she went to look at the message she had assumed was from Clarke but was surprised to see that it was from her ex.

Costia[1:31pm]: Hey, hope you had a good holiday. Can we meetup before you go back to school at the end of the week?

           Lexa thought about the question for a few minutes as she wondered what Costia could possibly want.

Lexa[1:36pm]: Any particular reason why?

Costia[1:37pm]: I was hoping we could work on our friendship again like I mentioned before. I miss us as friends.

           Lexa bit at her lower lip as she thought about what she wanted to do. She wasn’t sure if a friendship with Costia was the best idea at this very moment but she definitely wanted to see if they could be the friends that they once were.

Lexa[1:40pm]: Let’s just stick to texting for now and see how that goes.

Costia[1:41pm]: Fair enough. So how are you?

           Octavia glanced at the screen of Lexa’s phone and rolled her eyes. “Really? Please tell me why you think that’s a good idea?” She whispered.

           “We’re just trying to see if we can be friends,” Lexa replied quietly. “It’s not a big deal.”

            Octavia shook her head. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

           “This isn’t a Clarke versus Costia thing, Octavia,” Lexa assured her. “I want to be with Clarke. I would also just like to get my friend back.”

           Octavia rolled her eyes. She could certainly assure Lexa that she didn’t need Costia as a friend but they would be going back to school soon so the girl at least wouldn’t be around to complicate things.

 

 

           A few hours later, everyone was sitting in the game room while they played Pictionary. Indra hated the game so she was the designated scorekeeper. Anya rolled her eyes as she watched Clarke draw another perfectly detailed picture in a short amount of time.

           “Vincent Van Gogh!” Raven yelled once Clarke finished drawing an ear next to an easel.

           “Clarke’s team wins… again,” Indra replied. Clarke high-fived Raven, Echo and Lincoln before smiling at Lexa. “Suggesting Pictionary? You must’ve really wanted to lose.”

           Lexa smirked. “This is just the first game of the night. I wanted you to be able to feel what it’s like to win before we crush you.”

           Anya gestured to the other side of the room where a pool table rested. “How are you at pool, Clarke?”

           Clarke had never played pool in her life but she was sure she could figure it out pretty quickly.

 

 

           Or not. Clarke rolled her eyes as everyone took a few steps back when it was her turn at the table. “Very funny, guys. I’m not that bad.” She wasn’t. She had only knocked the ball off the table, almost decapitating Lincoln, once. Clarke looked at Lexa and gave her an innocent yet seductive smile. “Lexa can you help me with this shot?”

           “She’s on the opposite team,” Anya stated. “She can’t help you.”

           “I can help her with this one shot.” Lexa stepped forward ignoring the ‘whipped’ sound that Octavia made. She positioned herself behind Clarke and began to walk her through how to shoot the ball.

           “I feel dirty watching you two right now,” Raven commented.

           Lexa blushed and pulled away from Clarke. “Maybe Echo should show you.”

           Everyone laughed and Clarke placed a kiss on Lexa’s cheek before getting help from Echo instead. In the end, no amount of help could get Clarke to play better and her team lost.

           “I’ll come back for vengeance once I’ve had practice,” Clarke replied. “That was fun, though. What’s next?”

           Anya smirked. “Echo go start the Wii.”

 

 

           Clarke stood up as she and Anya both neared the finish line of rainbow road in Mario Kart and when she crossed first, she dropped her controller and yelled, “Take that, bitches!” Her eyes widened at her outburst and she looked at Gustus. “Not you… you’re definitely not a bitch… at all.” She cleared her throat and quickly sat down.

           Gustus laughed and shook his head. “That was the most intense game of Mario Kart I have ever seen. Good game.”

           Anya rolled her eyes. “She got lucky.” She looked at Clarke. “We’re having another game night before you leave and it’ll be ten times more intense than this one.”

           “I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Clarke said.

           Octavia checked the time and stood up. “I better head home. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

           “I’ll walk you out,” Lincoln said as he got up.

           “Orphan Black is about to start,” Echo stated. “I’ll be watching that.”

           “Oh, I’m right there with you!” Raven rushed upstairs with Echo and soon the rest of Lexa’s family was upstairs, leaving Lexa and Clarke alone on the couch.

           Lexa scooted closer to Clarke, happy to finally have the blonde to herself. “Did you enjoy yourself?”

           Clarke beamed. “I did. Your family is so much fun. I think Anya even kind of likes me now.”

           Lexa chuckled. “Yeah, I think you might’ve won her over when she didn’t punch you at any point during Mario Kart. I usually don’t escape unscathed if I’m playing against her.”

           “Speaking of winning.” Clarke moved so that she was straddling Lexa’s thighs. “What does this winner get?”

           Lexa placed her hands on Clarke’s hips. “Hm, not sure. Was there something you wanted in particular?”

           Clarke nodded as she leaned down to capture Lexa’s lips with her own. “We have an hour to ourselves. Let’s make good use of it.”

           Lexa hummed her agreement and lost herself in their make-out session. Her hands stayed planted on Clarke’s hips but she remembered Raven’s earlier words and decided to progress things a little. She slipped one hand under Clarke’s shirt and slowly trailed it up the blonde’s side but stopped when Clarke tensed a bit.

           “You’re fine. Your hand is just cold.” Clarke bit down gently on Lexa’s bottom lip causing Lexa to let out a small wimper.

           Clarke laughed and pulled back slightly. “What was that?”

           “You’re hearing things,” Lexa said before pulling her back in for a kiss.

           Clarke was very aware of Lexa’s hand now resting below her breast and was waiting for the brunette to slide her fingers under her bra but it wasn’t happening. She moved her lips to Lexa’s ear and nibbled at it gently before whispering, “Go ahead.”

           Lexa brought her other hand up behind Clarke’s neck to pull her in for a kiss as she slipped under her girlfriend’s bra. She squeezed lightly and ran her thumb over Clarke’s nipple, shivering in response to the moan that escaped the blonde. “You’re gorgeous, Clarke,” she said, quietly as if being any louder would break them out of their moment.

           Clarke moved to lie down on the couch, pulling Lexa on top of her as their make-out session became more heated. Lexa felt Clarke buck up against her so she slipped her thigh between Clarke’s legs and began to steadily grind against her.

           Lexa pulled away to look down at Clarke. “Is this-,”

           “Yes,” Clarke rushed out as she pulled Lexa back down for a kiss.

           Neither of them heard Indra’s footsteps on the stairs and when the woman saw the two on the couch, she rolled her eyes. “People sit there,” she said, simply.

           Lexa quickly pushed herself off of Clarke and stood to look at her aunt. “We weren’t doing anything.”

           Indra looked at the girl in disbelief. “So I didn’t just walk in on you two about to have sex on that very expensive couch?”

           Lexa’s eyes widened and she quickly shook her head. “No, ma’am.”

           Indra looked at Clarke who was currently busying herself with looking down at the floor. She looked back at Lexa and smirked. “Your uncle wanted to know if you wanted ice cream but it seems you two found your own dessert.”

           “Aunt Indra,” Lexa huffed as she turned red from embarrassment.

           “If you two can muster up enough self-control, come join us. If not, at least keep your activities in your bedroom, Lexa.”

           “We’ll be up in a moment,” Lexa promised.

           Once Indra was gone, Clarke let out an embarrassed groan. “She probably thinks I’m corrupting you.”

           Lexa smirked. “That wouldn’t be too far from the truth.”

           “Oh, whatever.” Clarke playfully pushed Lexa. “I’m not going to be able to make eye contact with her now.”

           “Trust me, she doesn’t care,” Lexa said. “I mean, she’s serious about the couch but she doesn’t care if we’re having sex.”

           Clarke quirked a brow. “Is that what was happening? We were about to have our first time together on a couch with a bunch of people a floor above us?”

           Lexa laughed. “Of course not. I definitely want our first time to be a little more romantic than that. I was thinking the backseat of Octavia’s car. It’s just a bit more spacious than mine.”

           Clarke chuckled as she straightened out her clothes so she’d look more presentable before going upstairs. “Wow, I got lucky with you, didn’t I? So romantic.”

           “I’d have music playing in the background,” Lexa assured her. “It would be totally romantic.”

           Clarke shook her head. “Can’t wait.” As the two made their way upstairs, Clarke felt Lexa’s hand brush the backside of her own and smiled as she linked their fingers together.       

          

          


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

Weeks later…

           Clarke entered her room and found Lexa in the same spot she had left her hours ago. She rolled her eyes but smiled as she placed her things down. “How’s the paper coming along?”

           “Having to write a fifteen-page paper should be illegal but I’m almost done,” Lexa replied as she stretched in her chair.

           Clarke moved behind Lexa and massaged her shoulders. “So we can have date night?”

           “Maybe not tonight,” Lexa answered, hoping Clarke wouldn’t get upset. “I’m just going to be burned out after I’m done here.”

           Clarke bent down and kissed Lexa on the temple. “We can hang-out in our dorm. You know I’m not picky.”

           Lexa bent her head back and was rewarded with an upside down kiss. “I know you wanted to go out so don’t feel the need to stay in because of me.”

           Clarke ran her hands up and down Lexa’s arms. “No, it’s fine. We haven’t spent much time together these last few weeks.” They had both been busy with school and even on the weekends, Lexa had been swamped with schoolwork. “I won’t even make you watch a movie.”

           Lexa chuckled. “You have yourself a date night.”

           “Great, I’ll let you get back to your paper.” Clarke moved over to her bed and plopped down on it. She grabbed her sketchbook from beside her and flipped to a new page. Before she lost herself in her work, she heard Lexa speak.

            “Hey.” Lexa turned in her swivel chair and studied Clarke’s face. “You’re not upset with me are you?”

           Clarke furrowed her brows in confusion. “Should I be?”

           Lexa shrugged. “We’ve both been busy… me mostly. I don’t mean to blow you off or anything. If you feel like I’m doing that, I’d want you to let me know.”

           Clarke smiled, touched and slightly impressed by Lexa’s communication skills. “Look at you voicing your worries with me and whatnot.”

           Lexa grinned. “I have this really amazing girlfriend that I want to stick around so I make some effort.”

           “Well, I’m not upset with you,” Clarke assured her. “We’re both busy. School comes first. We’ll make time when we can. And for future reference, if I’m ever upset with you, you’ll know it.”

           “An angry Clarke Griffin. I don’t know if I should be a little afraid or turned on.”

           Clarke laughed. “Very afraid… and maybe mildly turned on.” Clarke’s phone buzzed and she checked the text message that she had received from Raven. Looks like I’m going to Grounders with Raven and Octavia.”

           Lexa’s phone buzzed next and she quickly replied to Octavia letting her know that she was too busy.

           “I’ll bring you back something.” Clarke got up from the bed and kissed Lexa before heading towards the door.

           “Thank you,” Lexa replied with a smile before Clarke slipped out of the room.

 

 

           Clarke was sitting in Grounders across from Octavia and Raven as she thought about how (and if she even wanted) to bring something up to them. “So can I talk to you guys about something without you laughing at me?”

           Raven smirked. “We can’t promise anything. There’s a ninety percent chance we’ll laugh.”

           Clarke rolled her eyes. “Fine, forget it.”

           “Okay, okay,” Raven said, holding her hands up in mock surrender. “What’s up?”

           Clarke stirred her straw in her cup before letting out a sigh. “So I’m pretty sure I’ve been dropping enough hints to Lexa that I want our relationship to escalate but…”

           “She’s completely clueless?” Octavia asked. “Yeah, sounds like Lexa. You just need to take her hand and shove it down your pants.”

           “I don’t want to be as forward as that,” Clarke huffed.

           “Well, have you asked her about it?” Raven asked.  

           “I don’t want to bring it up and then she feels pressured to have sex with me. I just feel like I’m going to burst at any given moment.”

           “Honestly, she’s probably waiting for you to make the first move and I don’t mean dropping hints,” Octavia said. “You’re going to have to spell it out for her so she has no doubts at all that it’s what you want.”

           “What if she’s not ready and I embarrass myself?” Clarke asked.

           “Let us stop you there,” Raven said. “There’s nothing wrong with letting Lexa know what you want.”

           “Yeah, and don’t stress,” Octavia added. “Just let things happen naturally. Sex is supposed to be fun.”

           “And once you’re done, text me because I need to know if Lexa’s a top or bottom. It’s all I care about in life right now. I’m hoping bottom because I could be twenty dollars richer.”

           Clarke rolled her eyes. “When aren’t you two making bets on my relationship?”

           “Hey, she didn’t make that bet with me,” Octavia said. “I’m a little offended.”

           “You’re Lexa’s best friend. You obviously already know the answer so I made the bet with Bellamy.”

           “Well since you didn’t consult me first, you’re out twenty dollars. Lexa’s a top,” Octavia stated.

           “Hey, Clarke’s a top,” Raven announced.  

           Octavia looked at Clarke. “Two tops. Should be an interesting sex life.”

           “And this is my cue to leave.” Clarke picked up the take-out bag from the table. “Thanks for the talk.”

           “Anytime,” Raven said as Clarke walked away. She shook her head and let out a light laugh. “What would they do without our help?”

           Octavia chuckled. “They’d still be pretending to not have feelings for each other.”

 

 

 

           Lexa stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her frame and headed over to her desk where her phone rested. She picked it up and saw that she had a text from Costia and mentally kicked herself when she remembered that she had forgotten to respond to the girl’s text from yesterday.

Costia[5:45pm]: Are you alive?

Lexa[6:19pm]: Sorry, been busy. Heavy work load.  

           Lexa set the phone down and let her towel drop to the floor so that she could get dressed. She was only in her shorts and a bra when her phone buzzed again.

Costia[6:22pm]: So you didn’t have time to respond to a message I sent you yesterday?

           Lexa sighed in irritation. Maybe a friendship with her ex wasn’t going to work out the way she thought it would. Not feeling like arguing with Costia, Lexa set her phone down. She heard the room door open and smiled when she saw Clarke. “Hey.”

           Clarke’s eyes trailed over Lexa’s body and she let out an appreciative hum. “I could definitely get used to you hanging around in that.” She set the paper bag down and moved to give the brunette a kiss.

           Lexa smirked into the kiss as she felt Clarke’s hand trail over her stomach. “You’re obsessed with my abs.”

           “I can’t even argue against that because I totally am,” Clarke said, huskily.

           Lexa sat down on the edge of her bed, pulling Clarke towards her so that the blonde had to straddle her thighs. Lexa trailed kisses along Clarke’s neck before nipping gently.

           Clarke wondered if now would be the perfect time to take things further. No, it wasn’t romantic but she was seriously going to self-combust any day now if Lexa didn’t touch her. She stood up and pulled her shirt off, tossing it aside before kicking her shoes off and moving back on top of Lexa.

           Clarke tried to push Lexa down onto her back, but the brunette wrapped her arms around Clarke’s waist and quickly turned them around so that she was on top. She began to trail kisses down Clarke’s neck and along her chest causing Clarke to moan beneath her. Lexa felt a familiar ache between her legs and forced herself to pull away.

           “We should probably stop,” Lexa said, breathlessly.

           “Do you want to stop?” Clarke asked as she rubbed her hands up and down Lexa’s thighs.

           Lexa shook her head but remained silent as she looked down at her girlfriend.

           “Neither do I. I’ve been dropping hints for the past two weeks,” Clarke admitted.

           Lexa looked surprised. “How did I miss them?”

           Clarke laughed. “I have absolutely no idea but we should definitely not stop.”

           Lexa bit her lower lip as she looked down at her extremely hot girlfriend who was obviously more than ready to take that next step. “We can’t,” she sighed. “This isn’t how I’ve pictured it.”

           Clarke quirked a brow. “And how have you pictured it.”

           Lexa blushed at the imagery that popped into her head. “It involved a desk. Let me rephrase that, this isn’t how I want it to be for you.”

           “I’m totally fine with it happening this way,” Clarke scratched her nails lightly down Lexa’s thighs.

           Lexa let out a breath as she moved Clarke’s hands. “You make having self-control very hard.” She got up from the bed and pulled a shirt out of her dresser drawer.

           Clarke moved to sit on the edge of the bed. “You really don’t have to make it all special for me.”

           Lexa slipped her shirt on and moved to kneel down in front of Clarke. “You’re special to me so I want our first time to be special. I don’t mean rose petals on the bed or anything. I just want it to be memorable. How about we not make any plans on Saturday so we can have a day just for us?”

           Clarke leaned down to kiss Lexa. “That sounds great, Lexa.”

           “Awesome.” Lexa stood up and ran a hand through her hair. “Now I’m stuck between taking a very cold shower and eating before my stomach eats itself.”          

           Clarke chuckled. “Eat. I’m going to go take that cold shower.” She placed a kiss on Lexa’s cheek and moved into the bathroom.

           Lexa watched Clarke disappear into the bathroom and chuckled as she shook her head. Clarke was going to be the death of her.  

          

          

 

 


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

           Lexa was lying in bed studying her flashcards while Clarke laid beside her typing up a paper for class. The two had been like this for about an hour now and Lexa loved it. Clarke had wanted to spend time with her but she needed to study before she went out for a late lunch with her brother so Clarke had simply gotten onto the brunette’s bed to do some work of her own.  

           Clarke was growing bored with her paper so she saved it and closed her laptop, setting it on Lexa’s desk since it was closer than her own. She then turned into Lexa’s side, placing a hand under the girl’s shirt as she closed her eyes to take a nap.

           Lexa smiled and continued to study despite the warmth of Clarke's hand on her stomach telling her she could be doing other things. A few minutes went by before Clarke decided she didn't want to take a nap so she raised her head a bit to look at her girlfriend. "Let's make-out."

           Lexa smirked. "I'm trying to study, Clarke."

           "I think you need a break," Clarke stated before pressing a kiss to Lexa's cheek.

           "So if I fail this exam and ruin any chance at being a lawyer, I can tell my family that my girlfriend wanted to make-out?"

           Clarke rolled her eyes as she took the flashcards away from Lexa. "You're so overdramatic." She set the cards aside and moved to straddle Lexa. "I'm sure you know it all by now."

           Lexa reached for both of Clarke's hands and linked their fingers together. "I do but it never hurts to go over things a few times."

           "Perfectionist." Clarke leaned forward to trail kisses along Lexa's jawline.

           Lexa released Clarke's hands and moved to tangle her fingers in Clarke's hair, tugging gently so that Clarke would move away from her jaw and kiss her. Clarke smirked and captured Lexa's lips in a slow and thorough kiss. Lexa guided Clarke so that she was lying on her back and kissed her for a few more seconds before getting off the bed. “You’re trouble,” she said as she shook her head. “Lincoln should be here soon. I’m going to go get ready. Are you sure you don’t want to join us?”

           Clarke sat up on her elbows as she looked at Lexa. “I don’t want to get in the way of your brother/sister time and I’m going to be hanging with Raven in a bit, anyway.”

           Lexa bent down and kissed Clarke one more time before she gathered some clothes and headed towards the bathroom. “Can you listen out for my phone? Lincoln should be texting or calling. I’m going to take a really quick shower. Just let him know that I’m almost ready.”

           “Yeah, sure,” Clarke said as she relaxed on Lexa’s bed. The brunette went into the bathroom and Clarke picked up Lexa’s phone to play with it. She unlocked her girlfriend’s phone and immediately opened the camera app. She took a selfie and set it as Lexa’s background before moving on to look at the other pictures. She was surprised to see so many pictures of herself on the brunette’s phone. She hadn’t even seen Lexa take half of them. She smiled at the one Lexa had taken of her sleeping at her desk when she was supposed to be studying.

           Before Clarke could continue to look at the pictures, Lexa received a text message. She assumed it was Lincoln and opened the message to read it but frowned when she saw that it was actually from Costia. She was going to exit out of it but she saw a few words and her curiosity kicked in.

Costia[2:05pm]: Sorry about our fight. I didn’t mean to come off the way I did. I guess I’m just a little jealous…

Costia[2:06pm]: I still have feelings for you. I know you have a girlfriend but maybe you’d want to give us a try again? I miss you.

           Clarke read the message again and realized a few things that made her very unhappy. Lexa was talking to her ex again. Lexa was talking to her ex again _and_ didn’t tell her. Now Costia wanted Lexa back. Clarke scrolled to the oldest message from Costia and saw that Lexa had been talking to her ex for weeks now. She stood up from the bed and began to pace around the small room. Lexa’s first love was vying for her affection and Clarke was totally caught off-guard.

            Clarke heard the shower turn off and sat down on her bed to wait for Lexa to come out. She was boiling with rage and it took everything in her not to bang on the door and demand the girl get out now. When she heard the door open and Lexa step out of the bathroom, Clarke looked up and watched her girlfriend toss her previous clothes in her hamper.

           “Did Lincoln call?” Lexa asked as she moved to slip her sneakers on.

           “No, but Costia texted you.” Clarke held up the phone. “She apologized for whatever fight you two had. She misses you and wants to get back together despite you having a girlfriend. She seems like a lovely girl,” Clarke said, sarcastically as she tossed the phone onto Lexa’s bed.

           Lexa sighed and sat down on the edge of her own bed right across from Clarke. “We were trying to be friends again but I guess she still has feelings for me.”

           “And do you have them for her?” Clarke asked, irritated that Lexa wasn’t acting like she had just been caught talking to her ex.

           “Of course not,” Lexa replied with a frown. “I don’t want Costia, Clarke.”

           Clarke looked at the brunette in disbelief. “Really, because hiding the fact that you’re still talking to her is really fucking suspicious, Lexa.”

           “I wasn’t hiding it,” Lexa replied. “I just didn’t think I needed to tell you yet.”

           Clarke rolled her eyes. “Do you hear yourself? You didn’t think it was necessary to tell me, your current girlfriend, that you are talking to your ex-girlfriend?”

           “I wanted to see if a friendship would work first before I said anything,” Lexa replied, calmly. “If it didn’t, then we’d go our separate ways but if it did, then I would’ve told you. I just didn’t see a point in letting you know until I was sure what would happen.”

           “You should’ve told me either way.” Clarke was seething at this point. Lexa didn’t even think she had done anything wrong. “If there’s a chance that you’d want to be with her, then-,”

           “There is no chance,” Lexa cut her off. “You’re being unreasonable about this. It is my decision whether or not I want to be friends with Costia. Not yours.”

           Clarke stood up and glared down at Lexa. “I don’t care that you want to be her friend. It’s that you didn’t tell me.”

           Lexa stood up as well and reached for Clarke’s hand. “I told you why I didn’t tell you.”

           Clarke pulled her hand out of Lexa’s. “And your decision to not tell me was wrong. Do you not understand that?”

           Lexa sighed. “Just because you don’t like my decision doesn’t mean it was the wrong one. Look at how you’re reacting. This is why I wanted to make sure Costia would actually be a constant in my life before I informed you.”

           “Well I’m informing you that you can go be with her.” Clarke felt tears forming and quickly blinked them away. “I won’t go through this again.”

           “Clarke-,” Lexa began but Clarke was already out the door. She quickly exited the room and followed Clarke down the hall. “You can’t just walk away from our conversation like that.”

           Clarke stopped in front of Raven and Octavia’s room. “I can do whatever I want.”

           “Can we just talk about this?” Lexa asked.

           “Oh, so now you want to talk about it?” Clarke asked. “You’ve had weeks for that.”

           Lexa closed her eyes for a brief moment in order to calm her agitation. She wasn’t a fan of senseless arguing. She wanted to talk things out rationally but she could see that Clarke was the complete opposite. “I’m not cheating on you. It’s not fair for you to accuse me of it.”

           “I haven’t accused you of being a cheater. I’m accusing you of being a jerk for not telling me that you’ve started talking to your ex.”

           Raven opened the door and looked between the two. “Thought we heard you two arguing. What’s going on?”

           “Lexa thinks it’s okay to not tell me that she’s been talking to her ex-girlfriend.” Clarke entered the room, done with the conversation.

           Raven quirked a brow at Lexa. “What is she talking about?”

           “No offense, Raven, but I just want to talk to Clarke about this.”

           “Well now you have to talk to me about it because if I have reason to believe you’re cheating on my best friend, I will kick your ass.”

           Octavia moved to stand beside Raven. “Okay, hold on. There’s not going to be any of that. Lexa give Clarke some time to cool down, okay? We’ll talk to her.” Lexa looked reluctant to leave but she finally gave a faint nod before walking away. Octavia closed the door and turned to look at Clarke whose jaw was set in anger and her eyes were shining from unshed tears.

           Raven rubbed Clarke’s back as she spoke to her. “What happened?”

           “Costia texted Lexa and I saw it. She was saying how she missed Lexa and wanted to be with her again. I can’t compete with a first love.”

           “Hey,” Octavia moved to sit on the other side of Clarke. “You don’t have to compete with anyone. Lexa doesn’t want anyone else. I don’t agree with her talking to Costia either but I know it’s only platonic on her end. I’m sorry she didn’t tell you. I thought she would’ve by now.”

           Clarke frowned as she looked at her friend. “You knew and didn’t tell me?”

           “I was leaving that up to Lexa,” Octavia explained.

           Clarke laughed dryly. “You can make our entire relationship your business but you can’t tell me this one thing?”

           “Just say the word, Clarke,” Raven began. “I can mess with the brakes on Lexa’s car or just poison her if you want something more low key.”

           Octavia shot Raven a glare before speaking to Clarke. “Look, I’m sorry. I really thought you two had talked about it and it was a nonissue.”   

           “No, I’m sorry,” Clarke sighed. “You’re not the one I’m upset with.”

           “You should talk to Lexa,” Octavia said. “She messed up but she’s into you. Not anyone else.”

           “I’ll talk to her,” Clarke said. “Just not right now.”

 

 

 

           Lexa was sitting in her room with her brother as she told him about her fight with Clarke. She could see the questioning look in his eyes and rolled her own. “Say it.”

           Lincoln sighed. “I understand why you’d want to keep her as a friend. You two went through a lot together but why ruin your relationship with Clarke by not telling her?”

           “I thought I was doing the smart thing waiting to see if Costia would actually be in my life. I didn’t think things would go so wrong.”  

           “Okay, if Clarke started talking to her ex and didn’t tell you, how would you feel?” Lincoln queried.

           Lexa shrugged. “I wouldn’t like it because from what I’ve heard, he doesn’t deserve to even breathe the same air as someone like Clarke but that would be her choice. I trust her.”

           Lincoln knew he should’ve expected his sister’s answer. When she had been dating Costia, the other girl would constantly go out and hang around a lot of people Lexa didn’t know but it never bothered the brunette. “Okay, think about it like this. Clarke had a bad past relationship, right? Her ex cheated on her.”

           “Yes,” Lexa replied, curious to see where her brother was going with this.

           “So now she has trust issues,” Lincoln stated. “Your past relationship ended badly because-,”

           “Because Costia didn’t think I was enough,” Lexa finished for him. “So now I worry a lot that Clarke will leave me for the same reason.”

           Lincoln nodded. “You’ve got to be considerate of her feelings, Lexa. I’m sure she is of yours.”

           Lexa’s shoulders dropped. “She is. I didn’t mean to hurt her.”

           “I know,” Lincoln said. “Talk to her. We can reschedule our plans.”

           Lexa sighed. “Octavia said to give her space so I should probably do that. I don’t want to make things worse.” The siblings left the room to go spend time together and Lexa hoped by the time she returned, Clarke would return to their room so that they could talk.

 

 

 

           Clarke was sketching when she heard the room door open. She looked up and saw Lexa enter cautiously. The brunette held up a milkshake as she walked further into the room. “Thought you’d like this,” she set it on Clarke’s desk and placed a straw beside it.

           “Thank you,” Clarke replied, softly. “Can we talk?”

           Lexa nodded. “I’d really like if we did.”  

           Clarke set her sketchpad aside and gestured for Lexa to sit on the edge of her bed. Lexa sat down and decided to speak first. “I’m sorry for not telling you about Costia. I promise, though, that nothing was going on and nothing would’ve happened. I spoke to her earlier and let her know that we couldn’t be friends. She wants something that I don’t so it just won’t work. I should’ve told you what was going on.”

           Clarke reached to place her hand on top of Lexa’s. “I’m sorry for snapping. I just… it was too similar to how I found out Finn was cheating on me. It really hurt and I wouldn’t have gotten upset if you had told me you wanted to be her friend. I would’ve just appreciated not being blindsided by the news. I do trust you, Lexa, and I know you didn’t mean anything by not telling me. It was just a big thing not to mention.”

           Lexa nodded in understanding. “I’ll tell you everything from now on.”

           Clarke chuckled. “You don’t have to tell me everything. Just the things that might make Raven threaten to cut your brakes.”

           Lexa quirked a brow. “She threatened to mess with my brakes?”

           “She’s very protective.”

           Lexa smiled and scooted further up the bed in order to press a kiss to Clarke’s cheek. “I’m glad you have her. She’s a good friend. I really am sorry for the fight. I hope you know there is absolutely no chance that I’ll ever look at anyone else when I have you. I lo- _care._ I care about you, Clarke.” Lexa looked away from Clarke, her cheeks red from what she had been about to say. She stood up from the bed and ran a hand through her hair. “So did you want to do anything?” She asked, hoping Clarke wouldn’t say anything about her slip-up.

           Clarke’s heart skipped about in her chest at what Lexa had almost said. She got up from the bed and took a step towards Lexa. “Hey,” she ran her hands up and down Lexa’s arms. “I _care_ about you too.”

           Lexa’s eyes widened slightly. “Really?”

           Clarke placed her hand behind Lexa’s neck. “Really,” she said before kissing her. Lexa placed her hands on Clarke’s waist and pulled her closer as their kiss deepened. Minutes passed with them standing there, getting lost in each other before Lexa began to pull away.

           “We should probably-,”

           Clarke pulled Lexa back in for a kiss, successfully cutting her off. “No, we really shouldn’t.”

           If Lexa was being honest with herself, she didn’t have the willpower to wait until Saturday to progress things in her relationship with Clarke even if she did have everything planned out. “Are you sure?”

           Clarke nodded. “Very sure. Do you want to?”

           “Without a doubt,” Lexa confirmed.

           “Okay,” Clarke breathed out. “Then enough talking.” She pulled Lexa back in for a kiss and the two began to slowly remove each other’s clothes. Once they were down to their underwear, Lexa guided Clarke onto her bed and moved on top of her. She placed several kisses along Clarke’s neck and chest before moving back up to kiss her once again.

           Clarke ran her hand up Lexa’s back until she reached her target and then undid the brunette’s bra in one swift motion. Lexa pulled away from the kiss and looked down at Clarke with a smirk. “Very impressive, Griffin.” She sat up so that she was straddling Clarke’s thighs and let the bra slip down her arms. Clarke’s eyes darkened even more as the new area was revealed for her to see. She ran her hands up Lexa’s stomach until they reached her breasts. She squeezed them gently and smiled as Lexa’s breath hitched in her throat. She dropped her hands and flipped Lexa onto her back so that their positions were changed.

           Lexa bit at her bottom lip as she watched Clarke remove her own bra and toss it aside. “You’re beautiful,” she whispered as she leaned up to place kisses along Clarke’s chest. She captured a nipple in her mouth and sucked gently causing Clarke to let out a light moan. The blonde tangled one of her hands in Lexa’s hair and let the girl have her way with her for a bit before she pushed against her chest to get her to lie back down.

           Clarke kissed down Lexa’s chest to her stomach where she nipped and sucked at the skin there causing Lexa to chuckle. “You really do have an obsession with my stomach.”

           Clarke grinned and ran her tongue all the way up to Lexa’s breast. She swirled it around the hardened nub before sucking gently.

           Lexa let out a deep breath at the sensation, trying to remain quiet so the whole dorm floor didn’t hear them. “Fuck, Clarke,” she moaned as her girlfriend went to show her other breast the same attention.

           A few minutes went by with the two just teasing each other and taking things slow. Lexa changed their positions so that Clarke was once again on her back and she moved her lips to the blonde’s ear. “Are you ready for me, Clarke?” She nipped at her earlobe, smiling when Clarke’s hips jerked against her.

           Clarke nodded enthusiastically and Lexa placed a kiss below her ear before moving down Clarke’s body to remove her underwear. She tossed the garment aside and ran her hands up and down Clarke’s thighs. She pushed the blonde’s legs further apart and felt her heart hammering in her chest at the sight before her. She let out a shaky breath as she moved to place a gentle kiss on Clarke’s lips before moving back down between her legs.

           Lexa ran her fingers over Clarke and was rewarded with a loud moan. Lexa smirked and pressed her palm against Clarke’s clit eliciting the sound again. “That just might be my new favorite sound,” she whispered as she placed two fingers at Clarke’s entrance, looking at her for confirmation.

           “Lexa, do it,” Clarke urged as she moved her hand to Lexa’s wrist to guide her fingers inside. Lexa chuckled and moved Clarke’s hand away. “I’m going to take my time.” She pushed into Clarke slowly, placing one hand on Clarke’s stomach to keep her from bucking up too much.

           “Lexa,” Clarke whimpered as she felt Lexa enter her.

           “Shit, now _that’s_ my favorite sound,” Lexa said as she slowly moved in and out of Clarke. She watched as her girlfriend gripped the bedsheets and moved her thumb against Clarke’s clit teasingly. That lasted a few minutes before Lexa pulled out of Clarke and moved up to kiss her.

           Clarke returned the kiss and began to move her hand between their bodies, slipping her hand into Lexa’s underwear. “Damn,” she said at feeling how wet Lexa was. “Turned on, much?”

           “Have you seen you?” Lexa bucked into Clarke’s touch and allowed the action for a few more seconds before pulling Clarke’s hand away. “This is about you right now.”

           Clarke surprised Lexa by flipping them over and pulling off her underwear. “I wasn’t done,” Clarke informed her before moving between Lexa’s legs.

           Lexa had been about to say something but all coherent thought left her as Clarke’s tongue pressed into her. “Ohmygod,” she rushed out, her hand shooting down to tangle itself in Clarke’s locks. “Fuck.”

           “I think it’s safe to say that’s what we’ll be doing for the next few hours,” Clarke said before losing herself in Lexa.

 

 

           Lexa was lying on her stomach catching her breath while Clarke laid beside her, tracing patterns on her back. “I don’t think I’ll be able to move for the rest of the night.”

           Clarke chuckled. “It’s only nine,” she said, hoarsely. “We should at least go find food.”

           “Speaking of food,” Lexa began. “You let a perfectly good milkshake go to waste.”

           Clarke placed a kiss on Lexa’s shoulder. “I had something better.”

           “And you’re a perv,” Lexa said, tiredly. “A perv with ridiculous stamina.”

           “I have a hot girlfriend. What can I say?” Clarke sat up, holding the bedsheet over her chest. “Do you want pizza?” She ran a hand through her hair. “We can go pick it up and give some to Raven and Octavia. They’ll be thrilled.”

           “I meant it when I said I couldn’t move,” Lexa groaned. “I literally can’t feel my legs.”

           Clarke smiled, proudly. She had been in the same state earlier but after a short break, the two had been back at it. “Fine, I’ll order it, lazy.” Clarke remembered Raven’s bet with Bellamy and laughed lightly. Lexa had put up a good attempt but Clarke was definitely more of a top between the two. “Mind if I inform Raven that you are in fact a bottom so that she can win twenty dollars?”

           Lexa scoffed and turned onto her back. “I am not a bottom.”

           Clarke smirked. “Were you not here while we were having sex because you are definitely a bottom?”

           Lexa couldn’t really find an argument against that because Clarke had been in control for most of the night and she definitely hadn’t minded. “Okay, whatever,” she huffed. “You were the top for tonight.” Clarke grinned and kissed Lexa, moving on top of her as she did so. “Hold on, sex addict,” Lexa broke the kiss. “You need to feed me before you start using me for my body.”

           Clarke laughed. “Sex addict? I didn’t hear you stopping me at any point.”

           “That’s because you seduced me and I couldn’t think properly,” Lexa informed her.

           Clarke rolled her eyes, good-naturedly, as she reached over to grab her phone, letting the bedsheet fall from her chest. She ordered the pizza and tossed her phone aside before looking at Lexa who had been staring at her chest. “We should probably get dressed,” she smirked.

           “We have thirty minutes,” Lexa said before moving on top of Clarke.

           “And I’m the sex addict?”

           “Shut up,” Lexa said before capturing Clarke’s lips in a kiss.

 

            


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

 

           Clarke was currently on Lexa's bed with the brunette on top of her, kissing her down her neck. She had been studying and Lexa was helping her memorize parts of the body she needed to know, but one thing led to another and her study session had become a making-out session.

           "You have that exam at the end of the week," Lexa said as she pulled away from Clarke's neck to meet her gaze. "You need to study."

           "I am." Clarke ran her hands down to Lexa's jean-clad ass and squeezed it. "I'm studying you. I'm learning a lot." She leaned up and captured Lexa's lips with her own, smiling when her girlfriend moaned into it.

           Lexa didn't want to be a distraction to Clarke but it had been two weeks since they had last been intimate and she would be lying if she said she hadn't been affected by the absence of it. Both their workloads had increased this semester and they both agreed that school had to be their main focus. Well, Clarke sometimes agreed.

           Lexa tugged at Clarke's shirt until the blonde sat up so she could pull it off. "I don't think this is what your professor had in mind when she said receive help from a friend."

           "But it's so much more fun." Clarke reached her hands down to unbutton Lexa's jeans but the brunette stopped her, pinning her hands above her head. "I'm in control here, Griffin."

           Clarke smirked. "Then get to it, Commander." She leaned up and nipped at Lexa's jawline.

           "Commander, huh?" Lexa grinned. "I like that." She moved her lips to Clarke's ear, pressing her hips down into her girlfriend. "I want you to scream that when I make you come."

           "Jesus." Clarke felt a shiver run through her body. "Lexa-," She was cut off when Lexa pressed her lips to her own.

           Clarke attempted to flip their positions but Lexa stopped her and pushed her knee in between Clarke's legs, eliciting a moan and instant compliance. Clarke decided to lie back and let Lexa do whatever the hell she wanted because she was dying for the brunette to touch her where she needed her the most and she didn't want to prolong that by continuing to make her power plays. "Just touch me."

           "I will." Lexa moved down Clarke's body. "Eventually." She kissed Clarke along her stomach, dragging her tongue against the smooth skin as she moved further down. Clarke pushed on Lexa's shoulder, silently ordering the girl to hurry up. Lexa only chuckled in response. “Patience, Clarke.” Lexa unbuttoned Clarke’s shorts just as the blonde’s phone vibrated from on her desk. “Did you want to check that?”

           “Not at all.” Clarke moved her hands down to unzip her shorts since Lexa’s pace wasn’t fast enough for her.

           Lexa pulled the shorts off and tossed them onto the floor before moving back up Clarke’s body to give her a kiss. Clarke’s phone vibrated again and she chose to ignore it as Lexa sucked on her pulse point. Lexa slid her hand down Clarke’s stomach and pressed her palm into her.

           Clarke’s hips bucked and she let out a gasp. “Lexa.”

           Lexa let her fingers slip under the band of Clarke’s underwear teasingly. “Yes?”

           “Just-,” A knock at the door stopped Clarke from finishing her sentence.

           “Hey, guys.” Raven greeted through the door.

           “We’re busy!” Clarke called back in agitation.

           “Busy doing what?”

           Clarke’s eyes widened at the sound of her mother’s voice. She pushed Lexa off of her and quickly grabbed her shorts. “One second!” She buttoned up her shorts while Lexa quickly pulled her shirt on.

           “She’s going to murder me,” Lexa whispered as she ran her fingers through her hair.

           “Just act normal.” Clarke picked up her shirt that had been thrown onto her desk and quickly slipped it on before opening the door. “Hey!” She greeted her mom with a huge smile. “This is… unexpected.”

           “I wanted to surprise you and Raven.” Abby pulled Clarke in for a hug before looking at Lexa. “Hi, Lexa.”

           “Hi, Ms. Griffin,” Lexa smiled, hoping she didn’t look like she had been violating her daughter only seconds ago.

           Abby smiled and shook her head. “You can call me Abby, Lexa.”

           “Right,” Lexa said. “Sorry, Abby.”

           “So what were you two busy doing?” Abby asked.

           “Yeah,” Raven added with an amused smirk. “I texted you to let you know we were coming over.”

           Clarke picked up the flash cards she had been going over before she had been distracted by Lexa’s lips. “Um, studying. Lexa was helping me study.”

           “Oh, is that why your shirt is inside out?” Abby asked with a quirked eyebrow.

           Clarke looked down at her shirt and made a “we’ve been caught face” at Lexa before looking back at her mother.

           “Hey, Lexa I needed help with something in my room,” Raven said, reaching for the girl’s wrist and pulling her towards the door. “We’ll be back in a few minutes.”

           Before Clarke could protest, her best friend and girlfriend were gone. Clarke sighed and sat down on her bed. “Please don’t give me a lecture on sex. I’m eighteen.”

           Abby sat down on Clarke’s chair. “I just don’t want the fact that you room with your girlfriend to be an issue when it comes to focusing on school. If you’re going to be sexually active, you-,”

           “Mom.” Clarke covered her face from embarrassment. “We really don’t need to have this conversation _again_. Lexa is all about being studious and whatnot. Rooming with her isn’t a problem.”

           Abby held up her hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. We won’t talk about it. Do you want to go out for lunch? Raven says there’s a place called Grounders around here that I need to try out.”

           “Grounders is amazing,” Clarke said.

           Abby got up from the chair. “Come on, let’s go get Raven. Think Lexa will want to join us?”

           Clarke laughed. “No, she’ll be too mortified.” She said as she moved towards the door.

           “Clarke,” Abby said. “Your shirt.”

           “Right.” Clarke was pretty sure she had a hickey on her chest so there was no way she would be changing in front of her mother.

           “I’ll wait outside.” Abby slipped out of the room, leaving her daughter to get herself together.

           Clarke pulled off her shirt and looked in the full length mirror hanging from her closet door. She saw that there were two hickeys on her chest and shook her head in amusement before putting her shirt on correctly.

 

 

 

           Clarke entered her room a few hours later and saw Lexa sitting at her desk as she worked on an assignment. “Hey, you.”

           Lexa turned her head and smiled at her girlfriend. “Hey. Did your mom leave already?”

           “No, she’s lecturing Raven about all the self-made gadgets she has in her room. She thinks she’s going to blow up the dorm building.”

           Lexa turned her swivel chair around and Clarke moved to sit on her lap. “I don’t think I can ever look at your mother again. She’ll probably try to kill me for being inappropriate with you.”

           Clarke laughed. “No, you’re safe. I’m pretty sure she thinks you’re my first, though.”

           Lexa frowned. “Your _first_? Did you correct her? I don’t need her thinking I’ve corrupted you.”

           Clarke kissed Lexa on the cheek. “No, I didn’t correct her.”

           “Clarke,” Lexa whined.

           “She likes you. You have nothing to worry about,” Clarke assured her. “Also, she wants us over next weekend. Think we can make that happen?”

           “Yeah, sure,” Lexa replied. “Any special reason?”

           “Nope, she just wants to spend more time with the girl I’m being sexually active with.” Clarke laughed as Lexa blushed at her words. “I’ll let you get back to your work,” she got up from Lexa’s lap. “We’re going for a walk around campus and then she’s heading home.”

           “Okay, I’m almost done here. Did you want to do something when you get back?” Lexa asked. Clarke smirked and bent down to kiss Lexa, nipping at her bottom lip before pulling away. “Oh, okay… yeah, we can definitely do that.” Clarke kissed her girlfriend again and winked at her before leaving the room without a word. Lexa let out a groan as the door closed. “That girl is too damn hot,” she said to herself as she returned her attention to her assignment.  

          


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One**

           Clarke was in her car driving to her mother’s place while Lexa sat in the passenger seat being quieter than usual. She turned down the radio and glanced over at her girlfriend. “Hey, you doing okay over there?”

           Lexa turned her head away from the window and smiled at Clarke. “Yeah, I’m just enjoying being near you without a bunch of stuff going on. It’s nice.”

           Clarke chuckled. “That was smooth. Definitely getting laid later, but really, I can tell something is wrong.” She had noticed a few days ago that Lexa had started keeping to herself and had taken on this look of melancholy. The girl hadn’t even been in the dorm when Clarke had woken up at seven that morning. When Lexa did return right before they had to leave, she only said that she was with her brother.

           Lexa shook her head. “I’m fine.” Clarke looked at her skeptically but didn’t want to push if Lexa wasn’t ready to talk about what was wrong. Lexa’s phone vibrated on her lap and she picked it up to read the text message she had just received.

Anya[10:44am]: Hey, just checking in. I know today is a tough one for you. Lincoln says you’ve been keeping to yourself. You have people to talk to. Don’t shut everyone out.

           Lexa sighed and shut the screen off, not feeling like responding. She had been getting text messages all day of support and sympathy. She didn’t want them. Her phone vibrated again and she took a breath before looking at it.

Lincoln[10:49am]: You were quiet this morning. I know you don’t want to talk about things but handle your emotions in a healthy manner. Don’t shut us all out. Mom and dad would be so proud of the things you have accomplished. Call me if you want to talk.

           Lexa felt the tears welling up in her eyes and she tried her best to keep them at bay but they began to spill down her cheeks. She let out a shaky breath as her emotions overwhelmed her. “Clarke,” she said, softly.

Clarke heard the sadness in Lexa’s voice and glanced away from the road to look at her girlfriend. She was shocked to see that the brunette was crying. “Hey.” She kept one hand on the steering wheel as she reached her right hand over to take Lexa’s hand. “What’s wrong?”

Lexa wiped her tears away. “I thought I would be better about it this year but I’m not. It still hurts so much and everyone wants me to talk about my feelings but I don’t want to do that. I just need… I don’t even know what I need.” Lexa wiped at her eyes again. “I’m sorry I’m such a mess right now.”

Clarke brought Lexa’s hand up to her lips so she could place a kiss on it. “You don’t have anything to be sorry about, Lexa.” She pulled into a vacant parking lot and turned off the engine. “It’s okay to feel whatever you’re feeling.” She took Lexa’s phone from her lap and turned it off. “Will you sit with me in the backseat for a bit?”

“We told your mother we’d be there at eleven-thirty. Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”

Clarke moved to the backseat anyway, hitting her head on the hood of the car as she did so. Lexa smiled through her tears. “You could’ve just exited the car.”

“Shut up,” Clarke said, lightly. “Come here.”

Lexa got out of the car and joined Clarke in the backseat. Clarke put an arm over Lexa’s shoulders and pulled her close, smiling when Lexa rested her head on her shoulder. She kissed the brunette on the top of her head but said nothing as they sat in silence. Minutes ticked by and the fact that Clarke was content with just physically being there for her, warmed Lexa’s heart. She Clarke’s hand into her own and linked their fingers together. “My parents would’ve adored you. You’re perfect.”

Clarke smiled. “We both know I’m far from perfect.”

“Perfect for me,” Lexa added with a gentle squeeze to Clarke’s hand. “I went with Lincoln this morning to the cemetery. He means well but he wants to talk about _everything_ and it doesn’t help that my family keeps checking up on me.”

“They just want to be there for you.” Clarke began to play with Lexa’s hair as she spoke. “I get it, though. It can be overwhelming. I usually watch home videos or do something that I used to do with my dad. He was big on chess so we’d play together all the time or sometimes we’d sit outside at night and look at the stars.”

Lexa smiled. “My dad loved to cook. He said it was therapeutic. I would help him in the kitchen a lot while he discussed cases with me. My mom loved to work in her garden and she’d teach me about everything she was planting while throwing out life lessons.”

The two spent half an hour just talking about their parents and it made Lexa feel a lot better than before. Clarke didn’t shower her with sympathetic words and try to urge her to talk about her feelings.

Clarke placed another kiss to the top of Lexa’s head. “I wish I could’ve met them.”

“And I wish I could’ve met your father,” Lexa replied, sincerely.

“He would’ve totally loved you,” Clarke assured her. “You treat me right.”

“You deserve the best.” Lexa raised her head from Clarke’s shoulder and let out a sigh. “We better get going.”

Clarke tucked a strand of hair behind Lexa’s ear. “You sure? We can stay here longer.”

Lexa kissed Clarke gently. “I’m sure. Thanks for this. It helped.”

Clarke smiled. “That’s what I’m here for. And I’m sure your phone being off helped a lot more than I did.”

           Lexa laughed. “I would’ve done it before but I didn’t want to be rude.”

           Clarke quirked a brow. “Since when don’t you want to be rude?”

           “My family won’t appreciate it when they try to call me but I’ll just tell them it was you,” Lexa said, half-jokingly.  

           “I’ll gladly take the blame,” Clarke said as she moved to open the door. She stopped and turned her head to look at Lexa. “Hey, I…” she remembered when Lexa had said “I care about you” in place of “I love you” and wondered, which she should use now. “I care about you.”

           Lexa smiled and tugged Clarke back to her. “I care about you too, Clarke.” She kissed the blonde, letting her lips linger for a moment before pulling away. “Okay, we’re now officially late and you know how much I hate that.” Lexa got out of the car and moved back to the front seat.

           When Clarke got settled back into her seat, she turned off the radio and opted for playing music on her iPod that Lexa knew so she could force the brunette to sing with her for the rest of the drive.

 

 

 

           Clarke was sitting with her back against her headboard while Lexa’s head rested on her lap as she slept. When they had reached the house, there had been a note from Abby saying that she would be back in a bit because there was an emergency at the hospital. The two had found something to eat before going to Clarke’s room to relax. It hadn’t taken Lexa long to fall asleep after getting onto the bed and Clarke had taken several pictures as proof that the brunette had cuddled up to her side in a half asleep daze. Clarke was currently texting on her phone with one hand while running the other through Lexa’s hair.

Raven[12:35pm]: Sooo, I might’ve accidentally slept with Octavia’s brother…

           Clarke’s eyes widened at the message and she pulled her other hand from Lexa’s hair to quickly write out a response.

Clarke[12:38pm]: You can’t lead with “how’s your day going” into “I slept with my roommate’s brother”

Clarke[12:39pm]: Octavia might actually kill you. How do you accidentally sleep with someone???

Raven[12:41pm]: There’s no other way to bring it up.

Raven[12:43pm]: We were supposed to be working on a project together and the next thing I know, I’m making a pass and… yeah… we had sex.

Clarke[12:44pm]: Do you even like him like that? What happened to Wick?

Raven[12:46pm]: I like Bellamy more. I don’t know where these feelings came from, Clarke! They just happened. He asked me out on a date and I said yes so I’ll have to tell Octavia eventually before she finds out.

Clarke[12:48pm]: Well, I think you two would be cute together. You don’t have to tell Octavia everything. Just let her know that you’re going to be dating or whatever.

Raven[12:50pm]: Solid point. If you don’t hear from me at some point today, Octavia killed me and you should inform the police.

Clarke[12:51pm]: You’ll be fine. We’ll talk later. Also, you should definitely start dating someone so I’m not the only one being interrogated about my relationship.

           Clarke heard a light knock at her door and before she could detach herself from Lexa to get to it, her mother poked her head inside. “Hey,” she whispered.

           Abby smiled at how Lexa was sleeping with her head on Clarke’s lap. “Long morning?”

           “Yeah,” Clarke answered as she slowly tried to move off of the bed without waking her girlfriend. Once up, she put a pillow under Lexa’s head and left her room. “Everything good at the hospital?”

           Abby nodded. “Yeah, sorry I wasn’t here.”

           “We were late ourselves,” Clarke admitted. “Lexa’s parents died three years ago today.”

           Abby’s heart went out to the girl as she looked back at her sleeping form. “Is she okay?”

           “She will be.” Clarke closed the door softly before heading downstairs with her mom.

 

 

           Lexa woke half an hour later and made her way downstairs to the living room where Clarke and her mom were watching homemade videos of Jake. She hovered by the entryway unsure if she should enter or leave to give them privacy but as she turned, Clarke spotted her.

           “Hey, don’t go.” Clarke gestured for Lexa to join them.

           Lexa made her way into the living room and smiled a greeting at Abby. “Hi, Ms. Grif- Abby. Hi, Abby.”

           Abby smiled. “Hi, Lexa. Did you sleep well?”

           “I did. Thank you.” Lexa sat down next to Clarke and the blonde leaned into her just so they could be close. Lexa looked at the video and smiled as a much younger Clarke helped her father put up a tent in their backyard.

           “Jake got Clarke into camping so she insisted on camping in the backyard,” Abby explained to Lexa. “There was one week where she wanted to sleep outside only but I wouldn’t allow it so she threw this huge fit. We eventually had to set up a tent in the living room.”

           Lexa laughed. “Stubborn Clarke. That hasn’t changed.”

           “Hey.” Clarke nudged Lexa with her shoulder. “I’m not that bad. We should totally sleep outside tonight, though.” Clarke looked to her mother. “Do you still have my tent?”

           “It’s in the basement somewhere,” Abby confirmed. “I’ll bring it up later.” She got up from the couch. “Did you guys want anything specific for dinner? I’m going to run to the grocery store.”

           “We’ll cook dinner tonight,” Clarke offered.

           Abby looked uncertainly at her and Lexa laughed. “She means I’ll cook dinner tonight.”

           “I’ll _help_ at least,” Clarke huffed.      

           Lexa leaned over and kissed Clarke on the cheek. “I have a feeling you’ll be more distracting than helpful if our study sessions are anything to go by.” Lexa realized what she had said in front of Abby and her eyes widened. “I mean, because she talks a lot.”

           “That’s what I was hoping you meant,” Abby said with a stern look but then she broke her façade and smiled. “I’m going to wash up and then we can do whatever you girls want.”

           “Sounds good, Mom,” Clarke said as the woman left. She then looked to Lexa and wiggled her eyebrows. “Want to see how fast of a quickie we can have before she comes back?”

           “I heard that!” Abby yelled from the stairs.

           “I knew you would!” Clarke yelled back with a grin.

           Lexa shook her head in disbelief. “Please refrain from saying things that will make your mother want to end my life.”

           Clarke chuckled and kissed Lexa on the cheek before going back to watching the video. “Is this okay?” She asked as an afterthought. “You’re fine with watching these with me?”

           Lexa smiled, reassuringly. “I am. I think it’s a great way to learn about your father. Maybe one day I’ll be able to show you the ones of my family.”

           “Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be happy to see them,” Clarke replied as she cuddled into Lexa.

 

 

           Abby stood out in the backyard with her arms folded as she watched Clarke and Lexa argue over how to put the tent up correctly. She had been ready to help but watching the two banter was too amusing and they hadn’t noticed her presence yet.

           “Shouldn’t you know how to do this since you’ve done it many times before?” Lexa asked with a huff.

           Clarke rolled her eyes and looked at the brunette. “Shouldn’t _you_ know how to do this since you seem to think you know everything?”

           “I know the important things,” Lexa stated as she dropped the end of the tent that she had been holding.

           Clarke rolled her eyes. “Like what?”

           “Like how to prevent forest fires,” Lexa said, seriously.

           Clarke shook her head with a hint of a smile. “We’re not in the forest. Now will you stop arguing with me and help?”

           Lexa sighed. “I have been trying to help you. You won’t listen.”

           “Fine, I’ll do it myself but once I get it up, you can’t sleep in here with me.”

           “That’s fine. I’ll go sleep in a comfortable bed where bugs aren’t attacking me every second.”

           Clarke glared at the brunette. “I don’t like you.”

           Abby stepped over to the girls with an amused grin. “If I didn’t know any better, I would actually believe that.”

           Clarke gestured between her and Lexa. “This is normal. We fight all the time. Lexa’s unbearable.”

           “Says the girl who wants to be around me all the time,” Lexa stated.

           Clarke scoffed. “Oh please, you’d suffer without me.”

           Abby quirked her brow and looked between the girls. “Really? You’re like this most of the time?”

           Clarke looked at her mother, who now looked a little worried. “I told you she was a jerk, remember?”

           Lexa’s mouth fell open. “You what?”

           Clarke continued to talk to her mother. “We have a very healthy relationship. The verbal abuse is all in good fun.”

           “Bantering,” Lexa corrected before looking at Abby. “I would never abuse your daughter in any way.”

           Clarke laughed at how terrified Lexa looked right now. “I’m kidding, Mom. We banter all the time. It’s just how we are.” She gestured to the tent. “Can you help us with this thing, please? Lexa’s not any help.” Lexa playfully glared at Clarke before standing aside so the mother and daughter could set the tent up.

 

 

Two hours later…

           Lexa was lying in the tent laughing at something Clarke had said as she laid beside her. “You were definitely a handful as a kid.”

           “And you weren’t?” Clarke asked.

           “No, I was the best child ever,” Lexa replied. “I think my parents wanted me to get into trouble.”

           Clarke chuckled and rolled over onto her stomach so that she could look at Lexa properly. “We could get into some trouble right now.”

           Lexa raised a brow. “Yeah? What kind of trouble?” Clarke leaned down to kiss Lexa gently on the lips before moving her kisses along the brunette’s jaw and neck. “Oh… _that_ kind of trouble.”

           “Mmhm,” Clarke hummed as she moved on top of Lexa.

           Lexa placed her hands on Clarke’s waist as they kissed again. “We can’t.”

           “We can,” Clarke assured her.

           “Your mother-,”

           “Is inside. Nowhere near us.” Clarke sat up so she could pull her shirt off. “You’ll just have to stay quiet so the neighbors don’t get a show.”

           Lexa laughed lightly as she ran her hands up her girlfriend’s back, up to the clasp of her bra. “ _I_ have to be quiet? You’re definitely the loud one.”

           Clarke quirked a brow. “Are you challenging me?”

           “God, if only your mother knew you were the one corrupting my innocence.” Lexa undid Clarke’s bra and bit her bottom lip as it slid down her arms.

           Clarke chuckled and tossed her bra aside before leaning down to kiss Lexa again. As Lexa’s hands moved up to her breasts, Clarke pushed them back down. “This is about you.”

           Lexa eyed Clarke’s chest. “Maybe you should’ve left your shirt on.”

           Clarke smirked. “I thought you’d enjoy the view.” She undid the strings on Lexa’s pajama bottoms and moved so she could pull them off. “Let’s see if you can stay quiet,” she whispered before disappearing between Lexa’s legs. Lexa’s mouth fell open and her hand shot down to Clarke’s head at the first swipe of the blonde’s tongue. She let out a breath and a bit her lower lip in order to stay quiet as Clarke had her way with her.

 

 

          

Half an hour later…

           “So you definitely lost that,” Lexa said as Clarke was catching her breath beside her.

           “I’d gladly lose that battle a million times over.” Clarke smiled, her body aching in all the right places.

           Lexa turned onto her side so she could look at Clarke. She trailed her finger down the side of her girlfriend’s face before leaning in to kiss her. “Thanks for being here for me today.”

           “You’re welcome, but like I said before,” Clarke began. “You don’t have to thank me. I want to be here for you.”

           Lexa kissed Clarke one more time before pulling away from her. “Let’s get dressed before we fall asleep.”

           “You worry too much.” Clarke said, making no move to get dressed.

           “Clarke,” Lexa said in an almost whine.

           “Alright, relax.” Clarke sat up and began to find her clothing as best she could in the dark. Once dressed, she moved to lie next to Lexa, placing an arm around her. As the two began to drift off, Clarke remembered her conversation with Raven earlier that day. “Oh, guess what.”

           “Hm?” Lexa hummed, tiredly.

           “Raven slept with Bellamy.”

           Lexa laughed. “Octavia’s probably going to kill her,” she joked before drifting off to sleep.  

            


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

           Clarke was leaning against the wall on her bed as she sketched Lexa, who was currently reading one of her textbooks. She found Lexa to be breathtaking in everything she did, which led her to having a sketchpad dedicated to only sketches of the brunette. Lexa called her a creeper for having filled up the pages in a short amount of time, but she was fine with that title.

           “Are you almost done,” Lexa sighed, breaking Clarke out of her artistic daze.

           Clarke frowned in confusion. “Huh?”

           “I’ve read more of this textbook than I needed to for tonight because you’re sketching me,” Lexa stated.

           Clarke smiled in realization. “You were staying in that position so I could finish my sketch?”

           Lexa shrugged. “If I had moved, you would’ve whined about it like last time.”

           Clarke set her sketch aside and got up from her bed. “Why can you never admit that you’re just sweet?”

           Lexa gestured to the sketchpad. “Bring that with you. I want to make sure my suffering was worth it.”

           Clarke rolled her eyes and picked up the sketchpad before getting onto Lexa’s bed. She sat down beside her girlfriend and showed her the drawing. Lexa smiled as she took in every stroke that Clarke had made.

           “I don’t think I’ll ever get over how amazing you are.” Lexa handed the sketchpad back. “At drawing. Not in general. In general, you could use some work.”

           “Hey!” Clarke hit Lexa on the top of her head with the sketchpad before tossing it onto the desk. “You’re such an ass.”

           “You love me,” Lexa said, jokingly but her eyes widened when the words registered. “I mean-,”

           “Lexa, shut up,” Clarke cut her off before she could panic. She made sure Lexa’s eyes were locked onto her own before continuing. “I love you.”

           Lexa opened her mouth to respond but the rush of feelings running through her right now left her brain unable to function. She shouldn’t be so surprised. They had exchanged “I care about yous” twice now and they both knew the actual meaning behind what they were saying when they said those words.  

           “You don’t have to say it back,” Clarke assured her. She knew that Lexa felt the same way even if she wasn’t ready to say the actual words yet.

           Before Lexa could comment, there was a knock on the door. Clarke leaned over and placed a kiss on Lexa’s cheek so the brunette would know that she wasn’t upset. She then got up to open the door and was met with a very traumatized looking Octavia. “Hey, are you okay?”

           Octavia entered the room as she shook her head. “I need a brain transplant.” Octavia gestured out into the hallway. “I need to unsee some shit.”

           Lexa quirked a brow. “What happened?”

           “A naked Raven with my equally naked brother. I’ll need a gun and a lawyer along with that transplant.”

           “Oh,” Clarke said. “That.”

           Octavia looked at Clarke in disbelief. “Oh, that? You knew?!”

           “She told me over the weekend,” Clarke admitted.

           Octavia looked at Lexa with a glare. “And did you know?”

           “Clarke might’ve mentioned it,” Lexa replied as she stood up. “It wasn’t our place to tell you. We were waiting for Raven to let you know.”

           Raven entered the room and looked at Octavia apologetically. “I’m so sorry. You were supposed to be in class.”

           “It got cancelled… which I was excited about until I walked in on the reason I’ll need therapy for the rest of my life.”

           Bellamy entered the room looking slightly disheveled. “Octavia,” he said, hesitantly.

           “How long has this been going on?” Octavia looked from Bellamy to Raven.

           Bellamy scratched the back of his neck. “Um, that was the third time.”

           Octavia feigned a gag reflex. “And neither of you thought to tell me?”

           “We wanted to make sure we were serious first,” Raven explained. “We totally didn’t plan for this to happen.”

           Clarke moved away from her friends to go sit back down next to Lexa. “Should we be doing something?” She whispered.

           “They’ll sort it out.” Lexa wasn’t sure if Clarke was hiding her angry or if she really wasn’t upset about her lack of a response earlier, but either way, she was worried about how this would affect their relationship.

           Octavia folded her arms across her chest as she looked at her roommate and brother. “If you two don’t work out, you can’t drag me into the middle of it.”

           “We won’t,” Bellamy assured her.

           “And no more impromptu sex sessions,” Octavia added. “I’m already scarred for life; I don’t need to walk in on anything else.”

           “We’ll be more careful,” Raven promised. “So… you’re okay with this?”

           Octavia sighed as she unfolded her arms. “Yeah, it’s cool.”

           Raven let out a relieved breath. She hadn’t wanted to lose a friend over this. “Sorry again.”

           “We’re going out tonight and you’re pay for my drinks. That’ll make us even.” Octavia turned to face Clarke and Lexa. “Party tonight. I’ll come get you guys around nine.”

           “Sure, thanks for asking if we wanted to go,” Lexa said, sarcastically.

           “Just trying to keep you social,” Octavia said. “See you two later.”

           Once the three left the room, Lexa shook her head. “Never a dull moment.”

           “Not at all,” Clarke agreed.

           Lexa bit at her lower lip, wanting to ask Clarke if they were okay but being afraid of the answer.

           Clarke checked the time on her watch and sighed. “I have to get to class.” She got up from Lexa’s bed and grabbed her backpack. “Don’t stay in here all day. Get some fresh air.”

           “I will,” Lexa said as she watched Clarke leave the room. The blonde hadn’t given her a kiss goodbye or mentioned having lunch together later like she usually would, which left Lexa thinking that she really had messed up.

          

 

 

           Lexa looked at her phone for the umpteenth time in the last ten minutes since she had been in Octavia’s room. “She hasn’t texted me since it happened.”

           Octavia took Lexa’s phone and placed it down beside her. “You’re reading too much into this. You said she went to class. She’s busy.”

           “She hates this class, though. She usually texts me all throughout it.” Lexa ran a hand through her hair. “She’s going to break-up with me. I didn’t say it back and now she’s done with me.

           Octavia shook her head. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re overdramatic?”

           Lexa frowned. “Yes, Clarke has… on several occasions.”

           “Well she’s right,” Octavia said. “That girl is not going to dump your emotionally stunted ass.”

           Lexa sighed. “Then she’s at least upset with me and I don’t know how to fix it.”

           “If Clarke was upset with you, you would know because she would either tell you or make it obvious. Stop worrying. What we should be talking about is why you didn’t say it back. I know you love her.”

           “I do,” Lexa confirmed.

           “Then what’s wrong?” Octavia asked. “And if you say anything about Costia, I’ll punch you in the face.”

           Lexa rolled her eyes at her best friend’s warning. “Nothing’s wrong. I was just caught off-guard. Hearing the actual words just… I didn’t think I’d ever feel this way again. And it’s way more intense than it ever was with Costia. I didn’t even know I could love at this capacity. It’s overwhelming and exciting all at the same time.”

           Octavia smiled. “You two are disgustingly cute together. You should tell her how you feel.”

           “I will,” Lexa assured her, already thinking up a romantic gesture for when she told Clarke how she felt.  

 

 

           Later that night, Clarke was sitting on the couch at a frat party with Raven as Octavia and Lexa went to get drinks. Clarke could tell that Lexa was worried about the status of their relationship because the brunette had been overly sweet and nice tonight. Clarke had told her girlfriend that they were fine but it seemed Lexa didn’t believe her.

           “So what did she do?” Raven asked, having noticed Lexa’s behavior.

           “I said ‘I love you’ and she didn’t say it back.”

           Raven stood up from the couch. “I’m going to break her.”

           Clarke grabbed Raven by the hand and pulled her back down onto the couch. “You are not. I know she loves me. I don’t need her to say it.”

           Raven frowned. “You’re not upset?”

           Clarke shook her head. “Her actions are enough. Don’t give her a hard time about it. She’s not as open about her feelings as I am.”

           “That doesn’t bother you?” Raven asked, curiously.

           “Depends on the situation but for the most part it doesn’t.”

           Octavia returned to her friends with two drinks in her hand. She gave one to Raven and sat down beside her before looking at Clarke. “Your girlfriend might need your help.” She gestured towards the crowd of bodies.

           Clarke spotted Lexa nearby with a girl who looked to be flirting as Lexa just smiled politely. Clarke laughed lightly and stood up to go help the brunette. “Hey, babe.” Clarke took her drink from Lexa and kissed her. “Do you want to dance?”

           “Sure. Um, Clarke this is Harper. Harper this is Clarke,” Lexa introduced them. “We have a class together,” Lexa explained to her girlfriend.

           Clarke smiled at Harper. “Nice to meet you.”

           “You too,” Harper said, dejectedly. “I better get going,” she said to Lexa before disappearing into the crowd.

           “Babe?” Lexa quirked a brow. “You never call me babe.”

           Clarke shrugged. “Just letting her know that you’re taken.”

           Lexa grinned. “There are better ways for you to do that.”

           Clarke’s eyes shined mischievously. “You’re right.” She gulped down her drink before moving to place the glass on the table where their friends were sitting. “We’ll be back.” Once Lexa downed her drink, Clarke took it from her and set it down as well.  

           “You know I don’t dance,” Lexa said as Clarke pulled her towards the crowd of dancing bodies.  

           “I’ll do all the work,” Clarke said as she began to dance with her girlfriend.

          

 

           Octavia sipped her soda as she watched her friends on the dance floor. She and Raven had decided not to drink because they were on a mission to get Lexa wasted and they wanted to be sober to see that.

           Raven’s eyes widened slightly as she watched Clarke push her ass into Lexa’s crotch as the brunette began to place kisses along her neck. “Are we going to have to stop them from having sex on the dance floor?”

           Octavia chuckled. “Once their hands start disappearing under clothes, we’ll break them apart.”

 

 

           Lexa stumbled into her room and right onto Clarke’s bed as her girlfriend watched on in amusement. Clarke had sobered up but due to the amount of alcohol Octavia and Raven had gotten Lexa to drink, the brunette was still in her own little drunken world.

           “You need to change, Lexa,” Clarke said as she closed the door. Lexa grunted a response, causing Clarke to chuckle. She moved over to her girlfriend and pulled off her shoes before moving to pull off her jacket. “Did you have fun?”

           Lexa nodded her head against Clarke’s pillow with her eyes closed. “I’m going to sleep now,” she said through a yawn.

           Clarke made Lexa roll over onto her back. “Sit up.”

           Lexa pouted at her girlfriend. “Let me sleep, Clarke.”

           “Once you’re more comfortable,” Clarke promised as she tugged at Lexa’s shirt. Lexa raised her arms and Clarke pulled her shirt off. She flopped back down onto the bed and Clarke began to undo her belt. “You could help me a little more.”

           “Tired,” Lexa whined.

           Clarke rolled her eyes but a smile played at her lips. She pulled Lexa’s jeans off and moved to the dresser to pull out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. When she turned back around, she saw that Lexa had taken it upon herself to remove her bra and underwear and was now crawling under the bedsheets. She shook her head in amusement as she changed into the shorts and t-shirt herself before joining Lexa in bed.

          

 

          


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

           Clarke’s eyes fluttered open and the smell of breakfast hit her immediately. She felt around on the side of her bed and found that it was empty. Sighing, she sat up and saw a bag sitting on her desk with a sticky note on it. She reluctantly got up and read the note.

           _I’ll be out for a while. Enjoy breakfast. Do something productive. Seriously, Clarke. Don’t sleep away your morning. –Lexa_

Clarke stuck the note on the desk and retrieved her phone from the pocket of her jeans that she had never taken out last night. She pulled up Lexa’s name in her contact list and sent her a text.

Clarke[8:30am]: I hate that you don’t get hangovers. It’s unfair and inhuman.

Lexa[8:35am]: What’s inhuman is how gorgeous you look in your sleep.

Lexa[8:35am]: Also, why was I the only one naked? That’s unfair.

           Clarke chuckled at the message and moved to sit down on her bed as she continued her conversation with her girlfriend.

Clarke[8:37am]: Smooth talker. And you wanted to sleep that way. You’re an adorable drunk. When will you be back?

Lexa[8:39am]: I try. Not sure. Lots to do. I’ll be home late this afternoon.

Clarke[8:40am]: What the hell, Lexa? I wanted to spend the day with you!

Lexa[8:42am]: I know. I’m sorry. I just need to run some errands and that requires me to make a trip home. Stop pouting.

           Clarke hit the call button on her phone and waited for Lexa to answer. “Why do you need to make a trip home?” She asked when the brunette answered.

           “I needed a place away from prying eyes,” Lexa said.

           “Okay, and why’s that?”

           “It’s a surprise,” Lexa answered. “And don’t bother asking Octavia or Lincoln. They don’t know anything.”

           “I hate surprises,” Clarke answered, miserably, still disappointed that she wouldn’t be able to spend most of Saturday with her girlfriend.

           “You do not,” Lexa replied in amusement. “Eat your breakfast.”

           “Where are you right now?” Clarke asked.

           “Sitting in my car outside the dorm building.”

           “If you’re going to be gone so long, then at least come give me a proper goodbye.” Clarke heard the call end and knew Lexa would be making her way back to the dorm. She set her phone down and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. She was just exiting the bathroom when Lexa walked in.

           “I’m going to be gone for a few hours,” Lexa said with a grin. “You’re acting like I’m moving across the world.”

           Clarke glared at the brunette. “I don’t know why I called you back here. Go away. I don’t want to kiss you anymore.”

           Lexa took a step towards Clarke. “No?” She reached out and pulled Clarke towards her. “Are you sure about that?” She ghosted her lips over Clarke’s. “Because I think you really want to kiss me.” Lexa backed Clarke towards the bathroom door until Clarke’s back hit it.

           Clarke placed her hand behind Lexa’s neck and pulled her in for a kiss. She moaned lightly as Lexa slid her hand into her shorts and pressed into her.

           “Do you want me, Clarke?” Lexa asked, huskily. Clarke nodded and captured Lexa’s lips once more. Lexa nipped at Clarke’s bottom lip before pulling away and extracting her hand. “Good, we’ll continue this tonight. I have to go.”

           Clarke’s eyes widened. “Seriously?”

           Lexa smirked and kissed Clarke on the cheek. “Eat your breakfast before it gets cold. I’ll text you when I reach my house.”

           Clarke watched Lexa head for the door and groaned. “I hate you.”

           “Only because you’re horny.” Lexa winked at her girlfriend and slipped out of the room.  

           Clarke sighed and looked at the bag that held her breakfast. “Cold shower first,” she mumbled before going into the bathroom.

 

 

           Lexa was sitting on her bedroom floor with papers scattered about and a scrapbook in front of her. She really didn’t have much artistic ability but she was a perfectionist so this attempt at a surprise for Clarke was going pretty decently. She had taken screenshots of her favorite texts from Clarke that she had locked on her phone and had emailed them to herself in order to print them out. She had glued them into the scrapbook and was now writing messages beside them. As Lexa worked diligently, she heard a knock on the door. “Come in.”  

           Gustus opened the door and looked down at his niece. “You’ve been locked up here for a while.” He glanced around at the items on the floor. “What are you up to?”

           “Making a scrapbook for Clarke,” Lexa answered, sheepishly.

           Gustus smiled as he moved to sit down across from Lexa. “May I?” He gestured to the scrapbook.

           Lexa wanted to say no due to the sheer embarrassment of this romantic gesture. “It’s ridiculously cheesy but she’ll love it.”       She handed her uncle the book and watched as he glanced through the pages Lexa had already completed. “I didn’t know you were capable of being this sweet.”

           “You and me both.” Lexa pulled a jewelry box from her backpack and looked at her uncle. “I was wondering if you would have a problem with me giving this necklace to Clarke.”

           Gustus took the box and opened it. He looked at the necklace that once belonged to his sister. It was a silver tree pendant that his brother-in-law had bought for her during one of their first anniversaries together. Gustus handed the box back with a smile. “Of course I wouldn’t.”

           Lexa traced the pendant as she thought about how much her mother had loved it. “It’s not lame is it? Mom loved it because she was all about nature but Clarke might hate it. I would buy her something but she’ll chastise me for spending the money on her and this has more meaning. I guess I could-,”

           “Lexa,” Gustus said, gently. “Clarke will love it.” He tapped the scrapbook that was resting between them. “And she’ll love this as well. You don’t need to worry.”

           Lexa let out a breath. “Thanks. I just want everything to go as planned.”

           “You have something big planned?” Gustus asked, curiously.

           Lexa smiled. “Dinner at this fancy restaurant called Jaha. Then maybe a nice walk around campus because it’s really nice when it’s quiet; there’s a huge water fountain that Clarke loves to sit near when she’s drawing.”

           “Is there a special occasion?”

           Lexa’s cheeks tinged red at the question. “I care about her a lot and I want to go all out when I tell her how I feel.”

           “She’s a very lucky girl.”

           Lexa shook her head. “I’m the lucky one.” Lexa’s phone vibrated from beside her and she saw Clarke’s name on the screen.

           “I’ll come back and check on you in a bit. Maybe we can do something together before you head back to campus.”

           “Okay, I won’t be much longer,” Lexa promised as her uncle got up to leave. Once he was gone, she looked down at her phone.

Clarke[12:02pm]:So I’m lying in bed. Bored. Anything you can think of to help me pass the time?

           Lexa laughed lightly at Clarke’s attempt at sexting her. She smirked as she quickly typed out a response.

Lexa[12:04pm]: You can read a book, study, draw, hangout with Raven and Octavia. You have a lot of options.

Clarke[12:05pm]: I don’t like any of those options. I was thinking something more along the lines of you, me and my bed.

Lexa[12:06pm]: Why your bed? What’s wrong with my bed?

Clarke[12:07pm]: …my bed is more comfortable than yours. Now focus!

           Lexa chuckled lightly. She should’ve known Clarke would still be frustrated from being teased this morning.

Lexa[12:09pm]: Okay, we’re in your bed. What do you want me to do?

 

 

 

           “Clarke.” Raven hit the blonde with her pillow. “You’re not paying attention.”

           “Hold on,” Clarke answered. “I’m trying to get back at Lexa for something.”

           Octavia quirked a brow from the spot on her bed. “What’d she do?”

           “Turned me on and then left me a horny mess,” Clarke answered as she responded to Lexa’s message.

           “You perv,” Raven laughed. “Are you sexting Lexa right now? I’m so proud of you.”

           “Yeah, I’m surprised you two even do that,” Octavia answered.

           “We’re not prudes,” Clarke replied as her main focus stayed on her conversation with Lexa.

Lexa[12:12]: Fuck, Clarke. You’re so hot.

Clarke[12:13pm]: I want your tongue.

Lexa[12:13pm]: Where?

Clarke grinned, deciding now was the perfect time to deal out Lexa’s punishment.

Clarke[12:14pm]: In me. I want to tighten around it when you make me cum.

Clarke[12:14pm]: But hey, I have to go. You were right. I have a lot of options when it comes to things I could be doing.

Lexa[12:15pm]: Seriously, Clarke??? I should have seen that coming. You’re the worst.

Clarke[12:16pm]: I hope you’ve learned a lesson today. Also, hurry back. I miss your face.

           Clarke waited for a message and smiled when Lexa sent a picture of herself.

Lexa[12:20pm]: To hold you over. I’ll see you in a few hours.

           “You two are disgusting,” Raven stated. “Will you stop smiling at your phone like an idiot?”

           Clarke let out a content sigh. “I can’t help it. She makes me happy.”

           Octavia’s phone buzzed and she picked it up to read the message she had just received.

Lexa[12:22pm]: Need a favor. I want to surprise Clarke with dinner at Jaha’s tonight at seven. Can you get her ready without her knowing what I’m planning?

Octavia[12:23pm]: This is me you’re talking to. I’ve got this. I’ll need to enlist help from my favorite partner in crime, though.

Lexa[12:24pm]: Just make sure Raven doesn’t let anything slip. Thanks, O.

 


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

 

            “Since when are you into plays and why did I have to dress up for it?” Clarke asked Octavia as the brunette drove. Octavia and Raven had come up with the perfect lie. Octavia had told Clarke that Lincoln canceled on going to a play with her and Raven had refused to go so she was her last resort. Clarke hadn’t wanted to go because she wanted to spend time with Lexa when she returned but Lexa had told her that she wouldn’t be back ‘til the morning.

           “It’s extra credit for a class,” Octavia answered. “I really need it. And it’s fun to dress up sometimes. I know you’re all bummed out because Lexa won’t be home tonight but you can have fun with me. I mean, not the same kind of fun, but still.”

           Clarke smiled at the girl’s attempt at cheering her up. “Thanks, Octavia. I just try to cherish our weekends together since we’re usually busy on weekdays. I’m probably coming off as way too clingy.” Clarke’s eyes widened slightly. “Do you think that’s why she didn’t want to stay in the dorm tonight? I’m totally being clingy.”

           Octavia shook her head. “Between you and Lexa, I don’t know who is more overdramatic. Your girlfriend doesn’t think you’re clingy. And from an outsider’s point of view, I don’t think you’re clingy either.”

           “Sorry,” Clarke said. “Was just having a moment.” She frowned when she realized that Octavia was pulling into the parking lot outside of Jaha’s. “What are we doing here?”

           “I just need to grab something. I’ll be right back,” Octavia got out of the car, leaving a confused Clarke behind.

           A minute later when the door opened, Clarke began to speak. “Why do I have a feeling you’re lying about-,” Clarke grew silent from surprise when she saw that Lexa had entered the car and not Octavia.

           “Hey,” Lexa smiled. “I was hoping you’d want to join me for dinner.”

           Clarke took in Lexa’s appearance. She was wearing a black dress while she, herself, wore a red one. “You tricked me,” Clarke smiled.

           Lexa held out a bouquet of flowers for Clarke to take. “I totally did. Are you surprised?”

           “Very.” Clarke took the flowers and admired them for a moment. “These are beautiful. Thank you.”

           “You’re welcome. Come on, let’s go have dinner. I’ve missed you today.”

           Clarke followed Lexa out of the car and saw Octavia waiting outside of it. “You’re too good of a liar.”

           Octavia smiled, proudly. “Enjoy yourselves. Do something fun like a quickie in the bathroom.” Octavia got into her car and honked her horn before driving off.”

           “We’re totally not doing that,” Clarke said as she moved to take Lexa’s hand. “Especially at this restaurant. And are you sure you want to eat here because-,”

           “We’re eating here,” Lexa replied. “I’m treating you to an amazing night out and you can’t stop me.” Lexa placed a kiss on Clarke’s lips. “I really did miss you. It’s become weird not having someone pestering me.”

           Clarke’s jaw dropped in mock offense as she gently pushed Lexa away from her. “I don’t know why I’m dating you.”

           “Killer good looks,” Lexa replied. “You can leave me if you want. A lot of ladies want me.”

           Clarke rolled her eyes. “I’m sure,” she said, sarcastically.

           Lexa leaned over and kissed Clarke on the cheek before opening the door to the restaurant for her. Clarke entered with a smile of thanks and Lexa walked in behind her, reaching for Clarke’s hand to link their fingers together. “Woods. Party of two,” she said to the host.

           As the man went to go show them to their seats, Clarke whispered to Lexa, “Reservations? This is a very grown-up date.”

           Lexa laughed lightly. “It is, isn’t it?”

           The two sat down at the table and thanked the host before picking up their menus. They weren’t sitting very long before Clarke heard a familiar voice.

           “Clarke,” Thelonius Jaha approached the table with a smile. “It’s good to see you.”

           Clarke stood up to give the man a hug. “Hi, Mr. Jaha. It’s good to see you too.”

           Thelonius looked down at Lexa. “And you must be Lexa. Clarke’s mom has mentioned you a few times. I’ve heard a lot of good things.”

           “It’s nice to meet you,” Lexa replied, holding her hand out to shake the man’s hand.

           “You know what, I’ll wait on you guys myself,” Thelonius said.

           “Oh, you don’t have to do that,” Clarke assured him.

           “I’ve got to make sure you receive the best service,” he said. “Besides, I have to keep tabs on this date and report back to your mom.”

           “You two are like gossiping teens,” Clarke informed him.

           Jaha’s smile widened. “I’ll give you time to look at the menu.” He made an “I’m watching you” signal with his hands before walking away.

           Clarke looked at Lexa with a grin. “He’s not kidding, in case you were wondering. He really is going to report this date back to my mom.”

           “Guess I better bring my A-game tonight,” Lexa said before looking down at the menu. Internally, she was freaking out. She was already nervous about her plans and now she had Clarke’s mom’s best friend to impress.

           “Hey, don’t worry about him,” Clarke said. “My mom already likes you. You’re safe.”

           “She can definitely unlike me,” Lexa stated. “Do you have any idea what you’re ordering?”

           “Yeah, I’m getting the spaghetti,” Clarke answered.

Lexa looked at the blonde suspiciously. “Really? Out of everything you can order, that’s what you want?” Lexa found it on the menu and noticed it was one of the cheapest things on it. “Clarke,” Lexa smiled. “Don’t pay attention to the price. You can have whatever you want.”

Clarke sighed. “I’m not going to order something expensive and make you pay for it.”

“It’s fine, Clarke. Really.” Lexa reached across the table, placing her hand on top of Clarke’s. “Order whatever you want, okay?”

“Okay.” Clarke still felt guilty about it but Lexa obviously wanted to treat her to a night out so she wouldn’t ruin it for her girlfriend by being stubborn.

 

 

An hour and a half later, Clarke and Lexa exited the restaurant hand-in-hand. Jaha had waved Lexa off when she asked for the bill but the brunette had insisted on at least leaving a tip. He had told Clarke that Lexa was a keeper before they made their way out of the club.

“So you totally won him over,” Clarke said as they reached the car.

Lexa grinned. “I wasn’t worried. I’m pretty charming.”

Clarke rolled her eyes. “Liar. You were nervous around him. You were doing your tell.”

Lexa scoffed. “I don’t have a tell. My face is the definition of stoic.”

“Except it isn’t. Whenever you’re trying to keep your emotions in check, no matter what it is, you clench your jaw.” Clarke leaned over and placed a kiss on Lexa’s jaw.

“Remind me to never play poker with you.” Lexa stopped outside of her car and pulled the door open for Clarke.

Clarke thanked her with a kiss before getting into the car, making sure to pick up her flowers that were resting on the seat first. “Where to now?” She asked once Lexa was in the car.

“I’m going to drive us back to campus and then I thought we could go for a walk since it’s so nice out.”

Clarke reached over and placed her hand on Lexa’s thigh where the dress had ridden up a bit. “That sounds nice.” She began to caress the brunette’s skin with her thumb as she sat quietly.

“That’s not a distraction,” Lexa said, sarcastically, as she pulled out of the parking lot. “I’m totally not going to be tempted to pull this car over so we can have sex in the backseat.”

Clarke chuckled as she placed her flowers on the dashboard. “And here I always thought you had more self-control than that.”

Lexa grinned as she glanced at Clarke. “Not when you’re wearing that dress and have your hand on my thigh.” She noticed a glint in Clarke’s eyes and knew her girlfriend was planning something. “Whatever you’re about to do – no.”

Clarke’s hand moved further up Lexa’s thigh. “Relax, Lex. This is going to be fun.”

“Clarke,” Lexa said in a warning tone. Clarke wanted a better angle so she undid her seatbelt and turned in her seat. “Clarke put your seatbelt back on.” Clarke ignored her words as she placed a kiss below Lexa’s ear. “Clarke,” Lexa said with an edge to her voice. “Put the seatbelt on now.”

Clarke was surprised by her girlfriend’s tone of voice but then realization hit her and she felt awful. Lexa’s parents had died in a car accident and Lexa wasn’t taking any chances with her. Clarke put the seatbelt on and looked at Lexa, apologetically. “Sorry, I wanted us to have a little fun. I wasn’t thinking. I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m such an idiot,” she sighed.

“Hey, no you’re not.” Lexa reached over to find Clarke’s hand as she kept her eyes on the road. “I just need to stay focused. There are a lot of idiots on the road and I’d hate for something to happen. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

Clarke raised Lexa’s hand up to place a kiss on the back of it. “You’re right. Again, I’m really sorry.”

“You’re forgiven.” Lexa squeezed Clarke’s hand gently as a way to reassure her.

Once they made it to campus, Lexa grabbed her hoodie from the backseat before getting out of the car. She held the hoodie out for Clarke to slip on and the blonde smiled, lovingly at her. “What about you?”   

Lexa grinned. “You’re hot enough to keep us both warm.”

Clarke shook her head as she laughed. “That was horrible. You get a C for effort, though.”

Lexa scoffed. “That deserves a B plus at least.”

Clarke sighed as she pretended to think about it. “Okay, but only because you’re cute. Really though, I don’t want you to freeze out here.”

Lexa smiled. “It’s not that cold but I’ll check the trunk for a spare hoodie.” Lexa went to the trunk and opened it already knowing she wouldn’t find a hoodie. She picked up the jewelry box that she had hidden in the trunk and hoped Clarke wouldn’t notice it in her hand. She moved back to her girlfriend and shrugged. “Out of luck.” She slipped her hand into Clarke’s. “I’ll be fine, though.”

           The two walked for about fifteen minutes before they reached the campus water fountain. Lexa smiled when Clarke kissed her cheek. “This has been a great night. Thank you, Lexa.”

           “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.” Lexa pulled her hand out of Clarke’s and took a deep breath.

           Clarke frowned at the action. “You okay?”

           “A little nervous,” Lexa replied as she tried to keep the jewelry box hidden. “I actually had a reason for tonight. I want to talk to you about...” Lexa gestured to herself, “my feelings or whatever.”

           Clarke could tell Lexa was building herself up for something big and wanted to encourage her girlfriend without pushing her. “Whenever you’re ready. No rush.”

           Lexa nodded her thanks and took another breath before speaking. “I was pretty fine with spending my college experience focusing on school and not so much on my social life or romantic relationships but you turned my world upside down, Clarke Griffin. I’m going to be totally overdramatic here but I never thought I would feel this way again. I know we’re young but I really thought Costia was it for me and when that ended, I didn’t think anyone could spark those feelings in me like she had.” Lexa stared at Clarke silently for a moment before continuing. “But you do, Clarke. You make me feel _so_ much. I think maybe Costia was never meant to be the one for me. I think she was in my life to prepare me for a greater love so that when I found it, I would know how lucky I am. You get me, Clarke. You know that this is hard for me - these feelings, but you’re patient and you understand. I enjoy everything about you. You captivated me from the moment I laid eyes on you and I tried to fight it but, as it turns out, you’re pretty hard to resist. You’re constantly breaking down these walls that I have up. You… you pull me closer to love.”

           At this point, Clarke had tears running down her eyes and she really just wanted to wrap her arms around Lexa, but she could tell the brunette had more to say.

           Lexa brought her hand up and brushed Clarke’s tears away. “I love you, Clarke. I love you so much.”

           Clarke couldn’t hold back anymore, she pulled Lexa in for a kiss and it was one of the most passionate kisses they had shared. Once she pulled away, she looked at Lexa with a smile. “I love you too.”

           Lexa smiled and stepped back a little. “I have something for you.” She held up the jewelry box.

           Clarke was surprised she hadn’t noticed Lexa holding it before. She took the box and ran her finger along it without opening it just yet. “Lexa-,”

           “It didn’t cost me anything, Clarke,” Lexa said before her girlfriend could start. “Open it, please.”

           Clarke opened the box and saw a beautiful silver necklace. She smiled as she admired it and Lexa stood quietly as she watched her. “This is beautiful, Lexa.”

           “It was my mother’s,” Lexa explained. “My father gave it to her. She absolutely loved it. He obviously gave it to her because her love of nature, but I’m giving it to you because I feel safe with you.” Lexa felt her nerves taking over as she spoke. “Um, a tree’s general meaning is protection. If you want to get technical, though,” Lexa rushed out. “It’s an oak tree pendant. Oak trees symbolize strength and courage, which you definitely have and I think our relationship could be based on those two things. It took courage for us to get together and-,”

           “Lexa,” Clarke cut her off with an amused smirk. “Stop talking.”

           Lexa let out a relieved breath, happy that Clarke had stopped her rambling. “Thank you,” she said before being pulled in for another kiss.  

 

 

 

           Clarke’s eyes fluttered open to the feeling of lips on her back. She smiled into her pillow as the kisses moved down to her lower back and then up again. “Morning,” she said, huskily.

           Lexa nipped gently at Clarke’s shoulder. “Morning,”

           Clarke turned around and smiled at her girlfriend. “Aren’t you tired from last night?”

           Lexa shook her head and moved in to kiss Clarke. She maneuvered herself between Clarke’s legs and ground down causing Clarke to moan loudly. She bit down on her bottom lip as she continued the steady rocking motion against her girlfriend and Clarke scratched at Lexa’s lower back as pleasure flooded through her body. Minutes passed and they were both close to reaching their climax when there was a knock at the door.

           “You guys want to join us for breakfast?” They heard Raven ask.

           “Don’t stop,” Clarke whispered out as she raised her hips to meet Lexa’s steady thrusts.

           Another knock sounded and Lexa ignored it as she tried to bring her and Clarke over the edge.

           “Are you two in a sex-induced coma?” Octavia now asked.

           Clarke’s mouth fell open as she felt her orgasm nearing. “Faster, Lexa,” she moaned out.

           “Now we definitely know you’re both awake!” Raven yelled. “We heard the moan! Stop having sex and open the door!”

           Both Clarke and Lexa reached their peak at the same time, not bothering to try to stay quiet about it.

           A knock came again and Clarke rolled her eyes. “We’re coming!”

           “Clearly!” Raven yelled.

           Lexa laughed and buried her face in Clarke’s neck. Clarke laughed too when she realized what she had said. “I set myself up for that one.”

           “You did.” Lexa sighed against her neck and placed a gentle kiss on her pulse point. “They’re not going to go away.”

           “I know,” Clarke replied. “Give us a few minutes!” She yelled to their friends.

           “We’ll wait right here so you two don’t start going at it again!” Octavia called to them.

           “Let’s get dressed.” Clarke kissed Lexa’s forehead and reluctantly got out of bed. Lexa got up as well and the two got dressed and quickly washed up in the bathroom. Lexa made her way towards the door but Clarke stopped her. “Hold on.” Clarke moved to her desk and pulled the necklace Lexa had given her out of its box.

           Lexa smiled and moved to Clarke to help her put the necklace on. Once on, Clarke turned around to face Lexa as she touched the pendant. “It really is beautiful.”

           “Just like you,” Lexa replied before kissing Clarke.

           Clarke smiled into the kiss. “I think I’ve turned you into a sap. I like it.”

           A loud thump hit the door and Lexa rolled her eyes as Octavia yelled, “Let’s go! We’re starving!”

           She opened the door and glared at her friends. “I hate you both.”

           “Lies,” Octavia linked her arm with Lexa’s as Clarke and Raven walked ahead of them.

           “So how did it go?” Octavia asked in a low voice.

           “Amazingly,” Lexa replied, happily, as she looked at Clarke who looked to be having the same conversation with Raven. Clarke glanced behind her at Lexa and smiled before looking back at Raven. Lexa smiled to herself as she thought about how lucky she was.

           “Hey.” Clarke moved away from Raven to be near Lexa. Octavia shook her head in amusement at how the two couldn’t stay apart for long. She went to go voice this to Raven so the two could talk. “You look like you’re thinking too much.”

           Lexa grinned. “Just thinking about how I’m probably never going to be able to get rid of you.”

           Clarke playfully swatted Lexa’s shoulder. “You’re such as asshole. And no, you can’t get rid of me now. The sex is too good. I have to keep you around.”

           “Using me for my body?” Lexa asked in mock offense.

           “Have you seen your abs?” Clarke asked. “Definitely using you for your body.”

           Lexa shook her head. “And you told your mom I was a jerk.”

           Clarke leaned over to kiss Lexa on the cheek. “Seriously, though, you’re stuck with me.”

           Lexa linked her fingers with Clarke’s as they followed their friends out of the building. “I have absolutely no problem with that, Clarke.” Lexa wasn’t sure about a lot of things and she didn’t know if she would ever really stop being emotionally stunted, as Octavia liked to say, but she did know that she loved Clarke and for some odd reason, Clarke loved her back.

 

 

          

          


End file.
